ch 4 qualities of a great leader (43...

Book:LoreofLeadership,byIanRheeder,2017

Chapter4of7:TheQualitiesofSuccessfulLeaders,(PartOne:BuildingBlocksofSuccessfulLeaders)

© Ian Rheeder

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CHAPTERFOUR

TheQualitiesofSuccessfulLeaders

If you work for a boss willingly it is because the boss does only these two things for you — he cares

for you sincerely and he gives you an opportunity to grow. --EtskoSchuitema(1998)

UncoveringaLeader’sAbilitytoImplementStrategy

The fundamental question is, does leadership work? Can leaders push people beyond their natural capacity, whilst still

maintaining long-term trust? Yes, the behavior of a leader, and the particular leadership style chosen, has been proven

to influence the financial performance of an organisation.1, 2 This is because the behavior of a leader is a predictor of

cost reduction and the effectiveness of change programmes.3 On the other hand, we know that bad leadership has a

deleterious effect on profit, people and the planet. Unfair behavior from a manager leads to disloyalty; studies show

that up to 65 percent of followers actually go out of their way to destroy their organisations.4, 5 Therefore in exhaustive

studies — even when subordinates are already willing and competent — leaders and leadership still remains relevant.6, 7

With all this evidence that leadership is the most valuable underpinning force in business, let us look at how leaders,

using certain qualities, achieve great heights.

Because it creates trust and an emotional bond amongst followers, the most understated tactic for a leader is the

emotional and suggestive power of positive thinking and feeling. I’m going to tackle this subject (positive thinking and

feeling) from a unique angle that all managers and leaders must become aware of — the undisputed power of the

placebo effect in leading, and even misleading or manipulating people. Because the placebo effect is so pervasive in

every facet of our private and business lives, I’m going to cover it in depth, then relate it back to leadership. To a large

degree our trust and emotional bond to someone, our happiness, contentment, fulfillment, attitudes, health and

implementation of plans relies heavily on the placebos of transformational leadership. When you have finished

absorbing this section, my wish is that you will have become a more sensitive and responsible manager and leader.

LG Electronic India Limited was a late Korean entrant into the Indian market — yet rapidly rose to number one. But

LGEIL had an extraordinary CEO, Kwang-Ro Kim. He used a balance of both transformational and transactional

leadership styles. With a proven marketing and sales track record, he built trust by leading by example. He put local

Indians into key positions, shared his clear vision, believed in his work associates, personally worked with distributors



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and was quick to hand out his personal e-mail and phone numbers. The following extract about Kwang-Ro Kim from an

Insead Business School cases study, is packed with many powerful placebos:8

EmployeesattestedtothefactthatKimbelievedinhisteam100%,thathebestowedonthemtotal

independenceandauthority,andthereforeaccountability.Assoonassomeonewalkedintohisoffice,hisfirst

gesturewastopickupapen,readytosignanyrequestordocumentwithoutsomuchasaquestion.Thissent

aclearmessage–completetrust.Hisrolewastoempowerhisemployees.

Kwang-Ro Kim was trusted, was emotionally engaged with his followers and possessed competencies. These are the

three pillars of the TEC Leadership Model (trust, emotional engagement and competence), which forms the heart of this

chapter. Once you appreciate how placebos work, you will understand the mind better. Once you know how the mind

works, you will understand how to lead. And once you know how the TEC Leadership Model works, everything will

fall into place.

ThePlaceboEffect:

The placebo effect is the power of our thoughts and feelings, and in Latin means “I shall please.” It is the power of

suggestion. For instance, if you say (with feeling) “I shall feel better after doing or thinking something,” then you

probably will. So as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the placebo effect is in the mind of the believer.

To a certain degree, leadership is theatre. Aristotle noticed this “pathos” and realized that leadership, then (300 BCE),

was an unfortunate cathartic function to purify and purge spectators of their own ideas. In this brainwashing way,

leaders (clergy and nobles) could maintain or challenge the status quo without resistance. Because of the neural

circuitry of our mind we now know that strong emotions override moderate reason, but because placebos combine both

emotion and reason, they are extraordinarily powerful. And used manipulatively or malevolently, are darn dangerous.

Have you ever considered how many followers of manipulative leaders follow without realizing that they have been

manipulated? For instance, White South Africans living under the apartheid regime were manipulated, not inspired.

In their article, Placebo Effect: The Power of the Sugar Pill, Julio Rocha do Amaral and (MD) Renato M. E. Sabbatini

(PhD) say, ‘There are many experiments showing that man's functions are as conditionable as those of animals.’9 In

fact, because humans have such advanced minds, imagination using our neocortex, spoken languages and associations

with symbols, that the authors stated that humans are even more susceptible to placebos and nocebos than animals are.

They go on to summarise the placebo effect as follows:



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Wecouldthendefineplaceboeffectasthetherapeuticallypositive(ornegative)resultofexpectations

implantedinthenervoussystemofthepatients,throughconditioning,consequenttotheprioruseof

medicines,contactswithdoctors,andinformationobtainedbymeansofreadingandremarksofother

people.

I’m sure you can already see where this is going. Displaying the power of our highly developed prefrontal cortex,

humans can cause a neural top-down effect on their bodies by thinking positively or negatively. Studies have shown,

for example, that people with Alzheimer’s have lost their prefrontal cortex dependent capacity to have expectations, and

thus also lose their ability to be influenced by a placebo.10 Knowing exactly how to explain this neural top-down effect

is complicated, but we know one thing for certain — when we believe, placebos happen. This psycho-somatic, or

psycho-physiologic (mind over body) pathway is made even easier if there is physical evidence accompanying the

thought; for instance, an ingested blue and white capsule, albeit pure sugar, may exert instant relief to a wide range of

ailments, if the person believes in the pill’s healing powers and efficacy. It is much the same if a leader looks and

sounds the part.

Medical writer June Engel states that ‘evidence from many studies indicates that a third of those treated with placebos

obtain symptomatic relief for conditions such as postoperative discomfort, chest pain, stomach upsets and motion

sickness. Some surveys suggest results of up to 60 percent are common. People treated with placebos improve because

of faith in the ‘healer’ (doctor) and because they expect a pill or procedure to be effective. However, not everyone

responds to active painkillers either, so the placebo certainly has a role to play.’11 Similarly, one style of leadership may

not influence everyone. Leadership is both art and science. Because of this complexity, many leadership experts agree

that the subject remains one of the great conundrums of the social sciences.12 This is because of the dynamic interplay

between leader and the changing social structures, and the ever changing external world.

This phenomenon has been so therapeutically effective that throughout the ages the placebo effect has long been the

principal treatment of patients.13 For instance, American Indian dream catchers that kids hang in their bedrooms may

help them fall asleep, but only if they believe that it will catch their bad dreams. After an x-ray reveals no damage to a

painful injury, the long endured pain may immediately disappear. Likewise, after just a few sessions of processing a

painful experience with a psychotherapist, a patient can literally release a lifetime of baggage. And so it is with

leadership; the trust in the leader, together with an emotion engagement can have a powerful influence on a follower’s

neuropsychological makeup.



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Neuromarketing:

Advertisers have caught on to the placebo effect as well. Vance Packard, in his book, The Hidden Persuaders, quotes a

New York advertising agency: ‘People have a terrific loyalty to their brand of cigarette and yet in tests cannot

distinguish it from other brands. They are smoking an image entirely.’14

Using fMRI brain-scanners, the California Institute of Technology and Stanford's business school scientifically proved

that ‘expensive’ wine actually tastes better than cheap wine, although both wines were from the same vat.15 A US$90

wine tasted almost twice as good at the same wine that was marked US$10. Marketing expert and co-author of this

study, Professor Baba Shiv, also discovered that if a consumer paid more for an energy drink, they could more easily

crack a mental problem, as opposed to those consumers who paid less for exactly the same energy drink.

The conclusion? We use our minds to taste what we eat and drink, not just our taste buds. By watching the blood flow

with an fMRI scanner, scientists can see a high price fire up and influence our neural computations in our medial

orbitofrontal cortex (the brain’s pleasure centre), creating a placebo of perceived or experienced pleasantness (EP). This

study shows that we are not just rationalising that the wine tastes better, it actually does taste better. Price tag placebos

work exceptionally well. So placebos are not only used by the medical fraternity. From populist politics to witnessing

a moving speech, placebos are rife in every single facet of our lives. This is because a placebo is essentially an attitude.

It is a belief or feeling about anything — from judging a book by its cover to believing that the pink pills are more

effective than blue ones, regardless of their content. And so it is, when we assess a leader.

TheNoceboEffect:

Clearly, our minds have the ability to target certain areas we want them to target. And we must be very aware that there

are both good and bad placebos. And as many quick-fix hypes are loaded with deceptive placebos, as leaders and

followers, it is imperative that we understand exactly how placebos work. Furthermore, unless we know how placebos

are disguised, we might not even know we have just ‘digested’ one. So in short, “caveat emptor” — Latin for “Let the

buyer beware”, as I will demonstrate how millions of people are happily lead and mislead by their leaders and role

models.

Placebos come in the form of books, ‘breakthrough’ pseudoscience, management fads, new improved formulae, cures

for all ailments, pills, diets, exercise machines, bracelets, anti-aging skin creams, clubs, schemes, adverts, labels,



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marketing fads and conmen. “Con” is short for “confident trickster,” and that is exactly how we are seductively

selected as marks for their tricks.

Using the placebo effect of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) lower back pain was reduced by 59 percent of the

patients in a test group.16 However, belief works both ways. If you expect that you will feel worse (“I will be harmed”

or “it will inflict damage”), then the negative-placebo, or the nocebo effect, happens. We can suffer the negative affects

of negative thinking in the same way we can be healed through the power of positive thinking. If you are a migraine

sufferer, for example, you may habitually say to yourself ‘I can feel a migraine developing’ and unintentionally trigger

an increase in your stress hormones, blood pressure and muscle tension. The nocebo has thus carried out your

instructions. A negative news report about the economy can instantly take the wind out of a leader’s sails — if he

allows it to.

It is obvious that the different kinds of habits based on training, education and discipline of any

sort are nothing but a long chain of conditioned reflexes.

–-IvanPavlov,Russianpsychologist,1904NobelPrizewinner

If you believe (normally because someone conditioned you) that walking under a ladder is bad luck, then the negative

outcome will be a result of your Pavlovian-conditioned nocebo. One survey showed an increase by 52 percent in

hospital admissions due to transport accidents in the UK on Friday the 13th, unquestionably indicating this date as a

widespread modern nocebo. This irrational neurosis or phobia is called paraskevidekatriaphobics. This has absolutely

nothing to do with the supposedly ill-fatedness of Friday the 13th but everything to do with human psychology and the

resultant ideomotor effect that we discussed in Chapter 1. Thus there is a rational explanation to this otherwise irrational

behavior.

Whilst the brand packaging is attractive looking and the pseudoscience sounds fantastic, be warned; other than the

placebo effect many alternative medicines cannot make any medical claims or show evidence of efficacy. But this

should not detract you from using your favourite remedy, because placebos are known to cause beneficial biochemical

responses. Placebos have been scientifically proven to work — period. Thus placebos have important implications

treating all sorts of aliments. So why not enjoy the benefits of using both an active remedy (which was proven in

double-blind clinical and scientific trials) as well as your favourite placebo too?

Secondly, some placebo researchers say that physical conditions like chronic heart failure and urinary tract infections

are not curable by using placebos.17 For almost a decade, South Africa’s Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,

a qualified medical doctor, naively promoted a steady diet of beetroot, garlic, onion, olive oil and lemon juice as the



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‘miracle cure’ for halting the progression of the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease, fast earning herself the nickname

Dr. Beetroot and Dr. Death. Of course, this was just giving sufferers a placebo of false hope, and by now, those relying

on this ‘cure’ from the Minister of Health, would have died or would have engaged in unprotected sex, swelling the

infected populace in South Africa to an incredible 17 percent of the global populace (2009). The unsuspecting populace

were ‘grasping at straws’ believing that this diet would ‘cure’ them. In fact, quite the contrary, there is scientific

evidence that eating large amounts of these ingredients can in fact be dangerous to one’s health.

My hope is that you would now be acutely aware how vulnerable we are to manipulative leaders and their placebos —

and how they can ultimately strip us of our self-worth, without us realising it. Secondly, it is an insecure leader who,

often inadvertently, will use hidden manipulative tactics (hidden agendas), rather than transparent influence to lead. As

Stephen Covey put it, don’t let someone lead you up the ladder of success, only to realize that it’s against the wrong

wall.

Balance:

In short, when we believe, we will feel the therapeutic effect of whatever we believe in. So the placebo effect really

does ‘work,’ even if we only feel like we are ‘better.’ But this is the dangerous part of the placebo and nocebo effect.

You could begin implementing a doomed strategic plan because of the placebo — the transformational leadership hype

— surrounding it. Or you could be reluctant to start implementing a sound strategic plan because of the negativity

(nocebo) of the leader driving it. You could run a marathon because the doctor said you are healthy (placebo), and die

of a heart attack because you really did have the flu virus. Or you could develop the symptoms of flu (nocebo) because

the doctor had misdiagnosed you with flu. Through misdiagnoses, the carnage created by doctors must be

immeasurable. Obtaining a second opinion is thus crucial (probably because of doctors’ overconfidence in their

abilities, about 30 - 40 percent of medical diagnoses are wrong).18 So yes; with thousands of sicknesses that have “flu

like symptoms” the doctor is often wrong. Likewise, bounce your strategic plan off some of your colleagues before

implementing it with gusto.

Case: Like it or not, leadership is a placebo. What do you think Barack Obama did with his charismatic speeches? "Yes

We Can!" But could he really do it, and could the followers do it too? Many top leaders, in spite of their excellent

credential and competencies, cannot get the vote today without the placebo of a great speech. That is ridiculous when

you really think about it. So for better or worse, you should now start appreciating how the hype of inspirational

transformational leadership works.



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But what if you are really sick or your organization is in dire need of solid plan? Wouldn’t it be nice to have the right

diagnosis (research), the proven active remedy (plan) and the placebo effect (enthusiastic attitude)? Of course it would.

Thousands of active drugs do work and so also does the placebo effect. Although the placebo effect is still understated,

many also overstate it. We know that there is a direct correlation between active pharmacological advancements and

life expectancy, growing the average life expectancy from 20 to 80 over the last two thousand years. This 60-year

increase in life expectancy has nothing to do with the placebo effect but has everything to do with real remedies (a plan

based on research). The trick is to embrace a healthy balance of both the placebo and active remedies. Leaders need to

create a ‘soft’ emotional bond or engagement (placebo) but also need ‘hard’ competencies (active remedies).

My point is that we know that placebo interventions work psycho-physiologically, and “touch wood,” that’s great

because placebos can routinely benefit our health and offer spiritual ballast. However, there are active drugs and

procedures that really do work synergistically on both our body and mind. For instance, Viagra is a sensible substitute

for the aphrodisiac rhino horn placebo. Insulin works better than meditation for a diabetic. A mentally ill or clinically

depressed patient can find a new lease on life (almost instantly) by taking an active pharmacological remedy. Removing

a gallstone is more sensible than ignoring the pain. And as you will discover, leadership is not all about inspirational

hype either.

Managementvs.leadership

Remember that a leader keeps their followers’ ‘chins-up’ – excited about the vision; and a manager keeps their ‘chins-

down’ – energised to implement the mission. Thus you need to know when to lead and when to manage. In his book, A

force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management19, John Kotter distinguishes a manager and leader as

follows: managers organise and control, whereas a manager who wants to lead needs to inspire, align and motivate his

people. Thus the leader keeps people’s “chins up”, excited about the shared vision. The inspirational leader should give

or lead her people to a big “why” to act. Whereas the typical manager says, ‘Why you’re looking up? Get your chin

down and work!’ But, if people are well lead with strong enough reason to act (a why), they won’t mind being

‘managed’.

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. –- SimonSinek(2009)

With a deeper understanding of how the placebo and nocebo effect works, managers should consider their ‘soft’

transformational leadership skills (placebo) just as important as their technical skills or ‘hard’ competencies. In short,

through consultation with their members, leaders create an exciting vision (which is a placebo), strategise and plan, then

become the catalyst that motivates individuals to change their behavior, which ultimately achieves the shared vision.



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Leaders and managers need to rely equally on both technical skills (active remedy), but equally as important, they must

also program their organisations and communities using a positive attitude (placebo). Think Richard Branson.

When first meeting a leader, who does not look or sound the stereotypical part (in spite of their technical competencies),

will unfortunately have an instant nocebo effect on an audience. But, on the other hand, realising their brilliant track

record, may cause a placebo of trust.

A clear parallel can easily be drawn between medical and leadership placebos. From their speeches to their

Photoshopped streetpole campaigns, politicians routinely (and frequently) create ‘believable and trusted’ placebo

‘affects’ before during and after election campaigns. Or if they make a faux pax, a detrimental nocebo ‘affect’ chases

voters away. Trust is lost.

Aselusiveasitmayseem,trustorsincerityiscrucial.Youcreatetrustby:

Trust

(ContractualIntegrity.)

TrustthroughEmotionalEngagement

(Communication.Softskills.)

TrustthroughCompetence

(Hardcompetencies.)

They are trusted to do what they

said they were going to do.

They’re honest and don’t over-

promise. They consistently

respect others and attempt to

always slightly exceeding

expectations.

On and off the golf course, they

stick to the contract, timelines

and play by the rules. They’re

accommodating and think win-

win. They don’t put their own

financial interests ahead of their

constituency. They’re ethical

long-term thinkers.

Consistently showing benevolence and by being

up to PAR (Polite, Alert and Relevant) in all

their actions and communication. Everyone

communicates but few connect emotionally

(communicate with resonance). They have an

enthusiastic tone. They ask questions, listen

attentively, seek to understand and welcome

feedback. They never gossip. They’re on time

and make time for quality interactions. They’re

open, honest, sensitive and warm. They know

themself and let that part of them be known to

others. Great leaders know their vision and

mission statements off pat. They know their

audience and are great strategic storytellers at

company gatherings (not just expressive

“telling” but strategic “selling”). They have

Intelligent thinkers and

intelligible presenters, yet they

quickly admit when they do

not have the answers. They

challenge the status quo, think

outside the box, and customise

solutions. Sometimes

maintaining the status quo is

necessary too. They

consistently demonstrate their

valuable knowledge, talent,

and skills. Great leaders know

and have faith in their overall

strategic objectives.



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numerous case studies (stories) that they can

refer to.

Workplaceplaceboscreatedbytheleaderandtheenvironment:

If you don’t connect, you have no influence, and if you have no influence, you can’t lead.20

--BrandPretorius

Influence and manipulation are often confused with each other. Both can be used to get followers excited about the

vision. Great leaders with authentic power and benevolent intent, will influence and inspire. Weak leaders, without

authentic power or benevolent motives, generally choose manipulation. Using the follower’s basic emotional desire for

pain avoidance (fear) and pleasure (anticipated joy), the manipulative leader cunningly motivates followers to achieve

their own self-centered goals.

Even co-opted vision can still be extremely manipulative. An insecure Jim Jones and his congregation were singing off

the same hymn sheet; he cunningly sold his vision well, but, together with many half-truths and hidden agendas, there

was still extreme self-interest at heart. Insecurity is normally always the cause of possessiveness, jealousy and

manipulation. Look at a charismatic South African youth league leader, Julius Malema — the youth went gaga at his

African National Congress rallies, but they would not see his self-centered manipulation until way down the line.

Fortunately on 10 Nov 2011 the ANC’s own national disciplinary committee suspended Malema, stopping his rhetoric

that had brought the ANC into international disrepute. Although manipulation is a technique of exerting influence or

power, the manipulator does not truly respect the follower’s values. Secondly, with a deceitful hidden agenda, the

manipulative leader so often eventually leaves the follower feeling worse off than before, and this is how they

predictably get found out. Ultimately it is the intent of the leader — their motives — that matters most.

Although Peter Drucker said, ‘The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.’ There are of course

benevolent leaders and manipulative leaders. If you list the extraordinary plethora of notions that make up a good

leader, they can be pigeonholed into just three concepts: trust (respected), emotional engagement (connected) and

competence (observed ability). Politicians and leaders that deliberately overuse placebos in deceitful ways (i.e. build

perceived trust and emotional connection through lies and dishonest manipulation) may find they work for a while, but

this will easily lead to their ruination when they are inevitably found out. Where are our ‘real’ leaders? Study my best

leadership characteristics below and ask yourself how many are used by conmen? Then ask yourself how many of them

are used by great leaders? Most of them are used by both, but the difference is that conmen, Machiavellian and self-



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serving leaders use them disingenuously to manipulate, whereas great leaders use them authentically and with

benevolent intent to influence and inspire.

Because leadership is both art and a science, and because the changing macro and micro environmental context in which

a leader must operate, it is a difficult topic to drill down to a few characteristics. When context is also brought into the

formula of leadership, leadership suddenly becomes a large subject, which can be described as six constructs:

Leadership style, power, authority (rules), changing cultural context (ingrained values and beliefs), the nature and

quality of followers (internal ‘state’ of the organization), and the changing macro (PESTGEL) environment. Further

complicating the subject of leadership, are the varying definitions of the different styles of leadership. Some leadership

styles and power-influences are mentioned below:

LeadershipStyles: Big Man (traits theory), Transformational (collaborative, affiliative, visionary), transactional (path-

goal), authoritative (“will to power”, autocratic, telling, directive or one-way communication, coercive, command-and-

control, produce or perish), Machiavellian (“Great Man” using cunning influence), participative (“will to serve”,

democratic, supportive or two-way communication), pacesetting, laissez-faire (delegative, avoidant, hand-off, non-

leadership, lead from behind), supportive (coaching or selling), country club (concern for people), and team style

(concern for both people and task) leadership. Situational leadership (context sensitive). Transcendent (Crossan, 2008)

and Strategic leadership. More recent styles are Authentic leadership (Avolio & Gardner, 2005. combines

transformational and ethical leadership with positive psychology), Neuroleadership (Ringleb & Rock, 2009),

Distributed/self-managed/self-organising (Anderson & McMillan, 2003). (The two major styles that we shall

concentrate on are: transformational and transactional - Bass, 1990.)

PowersofPersuasion:21 Harvard professor, Thales Teixeira said, ‘People have an unconscious aversion to being persuaded.’ (2012, The New Science of Viral Ads. Harvard Business Review. Mar 2012. p.25). How then do we get around this aversion?The secret is a neurobiological one — high-trust engagement. The diagram below shows the seven different types of power-influences. Included in parenthesis are the typical basic emotions, as would be felt by the follower.



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Figure4.1:The7-leversofpersuasionorpowerwiththemostpertinentemotionsthatwouldbeevokedina

follower.Trustistheoxytocin-releasingmechanism.Havinganemotionalbondorengagementistheserotonin-

releasingmechanism.Fearoverused,producescortisol,whichmopsupdopamine.

Positional leaders [vs. relational], on the other hand, are often lonely. Every time they use their title to “persuade” their people to do something, they create distance between themselves and others. They are essentially saying, “I’m up here; you’re down there. So do what I say.” Do not rely on your title to convince people to follow you. Build relationships. Win people over.

--JohnCMaxwell,LeadershipGold,2008,p.6

24

!Legi&mate!Power&(Trust)&

&

&&

Reward!Power&(Joy)&

&

&Coercive!!Power&(Fear)&

&&

&&&!

Informa&on!Power&(Trust)&

&

&&&

Exper&se!Power&(Trust)&

&&

&&

Referent/&&Charisma&c!

Power&(Trust)&

&

!Integrity!Power&(Trust)&

Positional Authority

Bonus, Promotion, No Bonus

Punishment

Friendships. Emotional Bond.

Appropriate track record

Relevant new knowledge.

French,&J.,&&&Raven,&B.&(1959).&Bases&of&social&power.&In&Studies&in&social&power.&Ed.&D.&Cartwright.&Ann&Arbor,&MI:&University&of&Michigan&Press.&I’ve&added&2&more&types&of&power:&informaPon&and&trust&power.&

7RLevers&of&Persuasion&



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TheTECLeadershipModel

Figure4.2:ThebasicTECLeadershipModel

Because the leadership construct is so wide-ranging, leadership is impossible to squeeze into just one

distinctive attribute, trait, behavior or concept. But the 80/20 principle can lend some insights. The 80/20

principle is an accepted hypothesis that the bulk distribution of results comes from a small minority of

causes. In 1906 Vilfredo Pareto observed that 20% of the population owned 80% of the property. Likewise,

20% of what leaders do causes 80% of the results.

The three-dimensional principles of art can be taught and analysed by using colour, line and form. Likewise, the

diverse art of leadership rests on three pillars, if you will: Blending trust (reputational capital or "line"); emotional

engagement (relational capital or "colour"); and competence (managerial capital or "form"). We also know that

blending these three TEC domains produces a powerful cocktail of neurotransmitters and hormones, sparking the

follower into action. But without a leadership model and an understanding of our inner neurobiology, examining

ourselves as leaders is extremely difficult. After reading hundreds of book and articles on leadership, and by

working with exceptional leaders, I have realized that leadership characteristics, at a personal level, can be

synthesized into three TEC pillars: trust, engagement and competence. After laborious investigation, authors of The

Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner drilled exemplary leadership down to four characteristics:

honest, inspiring, forward-thinking, and competent. All four of these qualities correspond with the TEC Leadership

Model. Kouzes and Posner further went on to develop Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® Model: Model the

Way (personal and shared values), Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process (innovative risk taking), Enable

Others to Act (cooperative goals and trust), and Encourage the Heart (caring relationships). Kouzes and Posner

LinkingNeuroscience

p.40



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further validated that these leadership characteristics and practices led to superior team satisfaction and financial

performance.22 These five practices also all fall within the three TEC qualities.

Take this opening paragraph in Leadership from the dean of the Henley Buiness School (Foster-Pedley,

2012:46), and lets pigeonhole it into the three TEC traits (trust, engagement and competecies). The TEC traits

have been inserted in parenthesis and highlighted in bold below.

“In today's ever changing global situation and sometimes fiscal uncertainty, organisations only survive and thrive because of strong leaders with integrity [trust] and sound judgement [competence]. These managers are intellectual [competence] and insightful [competence] business people who collaborate [engage] and engage [engage] intelligently together [competence & engagement] -- who can manage innovatively [competence], strategically [competence] and ethically [trust].”

In his book Psychology, professor Saul Kassin defines traits as patterns of habitual thought, emotion and behavior.23 This is a reminder that you can not just ‘be’ a leader; you have to actively go out on a limb and demonstrate trust, an

emotional engagement (connect) and competence through behaviour. Thus to be an integrated TEC Leader, one must

not just consider traits or personality qualities, but concentrate on behavior, power-influences, and the ever changing

context. In the book The Psychology of Leadership, Tom Tyler from New York University warns that leadership should

not only be about “motivating” the group, but also should “set goals for the group (vision)” and “structure the

organization so that it can effectively attain those goals (implementation).”24

Because it accommodates almost every modern day definition of a leader, it is this three-legged stool of TEC qualities

that I have chosen as a model. It is this TEC Leadership Model that the leader must continually value, habitually think

about and act out. And when you do this, your followers will want to follow your lead. As these traits overlap and all

reinforce each other, the integrated or balanced leader synergistically combines all three.

Ecclesiastes said there is "nothing new under the sun". So which previous authors came up with similar leadership

model to the TEC Model? In ancient Greece, Aristotle and Plato referred to the psychographic profile of an admirable

public figure having three attributes: ethos (credible character), pathos (arouses feelings) and logos (logical reasoning).

And so it is with balanced and credible TEC Leader. Using these three components, this is also how you build personal

brand equity too. A mix of a trustworthy character, an emotional bond/engagement with followers, and competencies to

deliver the vision; all three are necessary to lead both yourself and others. Success or failure hinges on balancing these

three things, and it’s the synergistic effect of these components that is more important than the separation of any one

admirable TEC attribute. You may know of a great leaders who only possesses 2 of the 3 components, but that should



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not detract from the fact that they would have been even better had they excelled on the third trait too. Strong starters

may ooze pathos, but strong finishers have logos and ethos too.

A fascination of mine is the TEC Leadership characteristics also shared by high-trust salespeople. In Bill Murphy’s

book, The Intelligent Entrepreneur, he found that when interviewing highly successful entrepreneurs, they used the

same phrases and words to describe both high-trust leaders and high-trust salespeople — “integrity”, “clarity” and

“enthusiasm”.25

MenorWomen

Who makes better leaders, men or women? I believe the same answer can be found in what makes a great high-trust

salesperson — empathy combined with a strong ego drive to win or conquer. In their Harvard Business Review article,

What Makes a Good Salesman, David Mayer and Herbert Greenberg observed that women are, in general, more

empathetic than men. And that men, in general, had a higher ego to win. To have both traits would seem incompatible,

but the best salespeople, observed Mayer and Greenberg, were androgynous; they had the best of male ego and female

empathy.26 Top salespeople show that they understand the customer’s perspective; they reflect the customer’s feelings,

but don’t necessarily agree with them. And so it is with top leaders, they have perfected the fine balancing act of being

supportive and directive. Similarly, top negotiators need to use a collaborative (“together we will prosper”) approach,

but realize that they also will not be taken advantage of either. Reserving an adversarial ("I will dictate to you")

approach for extreme negotiation situations only. Understanding the recent brain science today, it now makes sense why

Roger Fisher and William Ury in their 1981 book, Getting to Yes, suggested not using displays of aggression. Anger

arouses the limbic system clouding creativity, innovation and judgment. Psychologists Alice Eagly and Linda Carli

suggest that the stereotypical leadership qualities of “cooperation, mentoring, and collaboration”, have become even

more relevant in contemporary organisations.27

PuttingLeadershipintoContext

As mentioned before, of extreme importance to this entire discussion is the macro and micro environmental context. For

instance, Jan van Riebeeck, the 17th century Commander of the first Dutch settlement in South Africa, used an extreme

transactional, top-down, directive, command-and-control style with his followers. On the 8 July 1652 a disobedient

sailor was sentenced to fall from the yardarm and receive 50 lashes. The next day, another cadet was sentenced to 100

lashes for insubordination. For deserting his duties on dry land, Jan Blanx was keelhauled, tied to a pole, received 150

lashes, and forced to work as a slave for 2-years.28 But in context, perhaps this leadership style was appropriate for his

workforce then (1652). Was he effective at influencing the activities of his work group to achieve their goals? Yes, but



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today a much more relational and democratic approach by a ship’s captain is required. Indeed, it is this facet — this

context of leadership — that Kouzes and Posner highlight. They say context has been the dramatic variance in the

leadership construct, causing the shift in the way we need to lead the “changing workforce”.29 Crossan, Vera and Nanjad

recommends a strategic transcendent leadership style — the combined leadership of self, followers and the organization

in a dynamic environment — requiring enormous flexibility in style.30 So the orthodox scholarly models decreeing that

the leader’s behaviour causes the group behavior, certainly does not always hold true; we know that the group context

can cause (shape) the behavioral style of the leader too. Richard Hackman, team leadership expert at Harvard

University, refers to this as “contextual conditions”. Hackman says, ‘If team members are behaving cooperatively and

competently, leaders tend to operate more participative and democratically, but if members are uncooperative or

seemingly incompetent, leaders tilt more towards a more unilateral, directive style.’31

Because of a patriarchal prejudicial socio-cultural environment towards woman in Afghanistan, an otherwise extremely

competent female leader is setup to fail. In other macro and microenvironments women are supported and revered.

Because of the legal context of black economic empowerment (BEE), this can support or destroy the leader, depending

on race. At a micro level, a competent TEC leader may inherit an extremely incompetent TEC work force (followers).

Or lucky for the incompetent leader, they may inherit and exceptionally competent workforce (micro environment) in a

booming economy (macro environment), and win all the prizes! Equally irrational, the leader of the largest economy

(USA) naturally becomes the most powerful leader in the world. Or is it because they have the largest theatrical

television and campaign budget to influence the world stage? Context has a strong relationship with leadership style and

effectiveness. Take Barack Obama, he may score a credible 100% on his three TEC attributes, but if you factor in his

poor performance due to a bad economy, he is a ‘bad’ leader. In their book Results Based Leadership (Ulrich, Zenger,

Smallwood, 1999) remind us that “Effective leadership = attributes x results”.32 Where “results” are not only bottom-

line results, but “employee and customer” results too. Which means that although Barack Obama may not have

improved America’s bottom-line, he may still have been successful in restoring his followers’ confidence in the USA.

Secondly, if there are no strong rival leaders, Obama could, because of a weak rivalry context, be voted in again. The

leader is immersed in the outer-environment, which is full of opportunities and threats. Richard Hackman calls this

contextual condition under which we give the leader undue credit or blame, “leaders attribution error.”33 Sometimes it is

the extremely competent team that should receive the credit, not the team leader. Just imagine how the horse feels when

the jockey steps up to receive the prize! Likewise, different tribes on planet earth more than likely did not become more

or less civilised because of their IQ, it was the contextual environment that played the major role.



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History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples’ environments,

not because of biological differences among people themselves. --Dr.JaredDiamond,authorofGuns,germsand

Steel,(2005)

Using the below diagram, notice that the TEC Leader is engulfed in context. Let us now expand these three primary

TEC qualities and add more attributes to each.

Figure4.3:LeadershipCapital=Trust(reputationalcapital)+EmotionalEngagement(relationalcapital)+

Competence(managerial&educationalcapital)



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DefinitionofanexcellentTECLeader

A great leader has self-trust, is trusted by and emotionally engaged with their group, and because of their appropriate

competencies and contextual mindfulness, can intuit decisions and implement superior solutions, faster than rival

leaders.

BalancingTransformationalLeadershipwithTransactionalLeadership

Before we look at trust, emotional engagement and competence separately, let’s first look at the two major leadership styles in

the TEC Leadership Model (ref. Figure 4.3), transformational and transactional.

Autocratic leaders may overuse a ‘hard’ coercive command-and-control approach, whilst a democratic leader may

overuse a more attractive ‘soft’ consensus style. But, depending on the context, a combination of leadership styles is

normally the best approach. In 1939 the father of social psychology Kurt Lewin tested what he called democratic

(participative), authoritarian (autocratic) and laissez-faire (delegative or avoidant non-leadership) leadership

“climates” on different groups of eleven-year-old boys.34 Lewin discovered that the worst approach was delegative, and

the most productive approach was authoritarian. However, the children in the democratic group contributed the most

valuable ideas. A laissez-faire approach would only work well on a highly skilled, willing and organized group.

Although the authoritarian style can be too controlling, bossy, and dictatorial, in a battle situation it works well. The

authoritarian style also works beautifully when the group acknowledges and trusts that the leader has the appropriate

track record, knowledge and managerial capital (competencies). Because the context of the leader and the environment

was so crucial, Lewin developed what is today known as Lewin’s Equation: B = ƒ(P,E).35 This is a psychological

equation of behavior which states that behavior is a function of the person (nature) and their environment (nurture),

which I have called the bi-vironment (inner and outer environment) throughout this book. Environmental monitoring is

thus crucial.

In Art Kleiner’s book, Who Really Matters, (Doubleday, Random House, USA, 2003) he argues that the organisational

leader is occasionally not the leader – the body of the organisation could easily assume a posture of leadership control,

whilst the leader leads from behind. This non-leadership or laissez-faire is also one of Nelson Mandela’s top-9

leadership tips – “lead from behind” (Time, 2008).

Pioneer of the “transforming” and “transactional” leadership styles, James McGregor Burns (1978)36 said that these two

styles are mutually exclusive. However, Bass (2008) has found that a combination of both transformational and

transactional leadership styles are complimentary (mutually inclusive) in organizational psychology; transformational

or visionary leadership enhances transactional leadership, but does not replace it. 37, 38 (Worthy of inspection, Bernard



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Bass and Bruce Avolio have developed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire ((MLQ), which measures a full range

of these leadership psychometrics.)) It is evident that the 21st century leader should relax their command-and-control,

without losing control. They should tap-off their authority, but without losing their influence. Yet because management

and leadership are flip sides of the same coin, it is critical that a great leader keeps the perfect balance between

influence, inspiration and control. Thus leadership and management could be used interchangeably throughout this

book.

In his book, Leading Change, John Kotter suggests leadership skills drive “change” but management skills “controls”

the entire process.39 Therefore leadership is much more than charisma and vision. In his article The Vision Thing, John

Humphreys says, ‘vision isn’t the starting point — it’s a byproduct of competent analysis’ because ‘Without analysis

there can be no useful insight.’ Humphreys says that strong leadership skills without management competencies can

lead to chaos and the demise of the organization.40 Managers need to assess the situation, redesign strategy, measure,

design support programmes and implement change programmes.41 With all this agreement and evidence, this is why the

TEC Leadership Model embraces both transformational and transactional leadership styles, and ignores the laissez-

faire or passive leadership style.

• The Transformational or Collaborative Leadership Style: The leaders and followers see

themselves as part of a constituency — a part of a whole. This is a “chin up” leadership style. Because of

our mirror neurons (ref. Chap 2), the leader’s positive emotions are transmitted through her tone of voice

and body movements. Using relevant inspirational discussion and storytelling, the highly visible leader

inspires the group (i.e. Richard Branson) with a collective sense of mission and purpose. Hopeful

organisations are more profitable because of the followers' higher retention and satisfaction rates (Adams

et al, 2002, Hope in the Workplace). Annette Simmons wrote an entire book on leading using stories, and

warns that “values” are meaningless unless they engage the group at an emotional level.42 The leader does

not get too involved in the detail but drives the main strategy by infusing the organisation with a higher

meaning. Bass (1985) suggests that transformation leadership is: Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual

Stimulation (where lateral thinking is encouraged), Individual Consideration (coaching, mentoring) and

Idealised Influence (trust is developed through the moral standing of leaders). Warren Bennis says

ordinary people become leaders if, ‘When the expression is of value, they become leaders.’43 Michael

Hogg at the University of Queensland says leadership is a “relational term.” And further cites that, ‘The

values, attitudes and goals that leaders inspire others to adopt and to follow are ones that define and serve

the group — and thus leaders are able to transform individual action into group action.’44 There should be

a bottom-up approach. Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice at London Business School

suggests giving a company an “igniting purpose”, and one way to do this is by regularly asking “igniting

questions”. Gratton posits that asking a group challenging questions gets followers to examine their beliefs

and values at a much deeper level.45 The leader should also always hold integrity as their highest value,



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and create an inspirational mood of trust throughout the group.46, 47 Using this style of leadership, it could

be assumed that employees inherently like the meaning that work brings into their lives. The leader is

reliant on her chain of command for efficient and effective tactical implementation; through shared vision,

mission, values and goals, the future is co-created. This way, through a psychological or social contract,

the transformational leader inspires, empowers and supports the group to think creatively, feel and act at

higher levels of performance. They have the ability to reappraise a challenging environment. They’re great

visionaries — change-catalysts — who listen, send out well-tuned visions, and are proficient at building

bonds for cooperative action. Using this “resonance-building style”,48, 49 a style more easily adopted by

women 50, the leader is relationship-oriented, and finds it unnecessary to use the Big Man style. "People

first then strategy. Leaders who use resonance building styles model norms that support commitment,

involvement, active pursuit of the vision, and healthy productive work relationships." (Goleman et al,

2002: 221). The transformational leader is considerate. The individual’s intellectual stimulation, not the

task, comes first. The leader wants the group and individual to develop to their maximum potential. Driven

by a collective process — by shared purpose, values, attitudes and goals — an intrinsic meaning in the

workplace motivates followers to benefit the group. Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than

them, and with the freedom to think, engagement and productivity soars. Followers are moved from self-

interest to a larger purpose of self-actualisation. Under these conditions, people want to work. This

charismatic organizational style of collaborative leadership has proven so successful that it’s been adopted

by the military. The Finnish defence forces use the Deep Lead© transformational model. The U.S. Army

describes leadership as “Be, know, do.” Where “Be” refers to the shaping of character and values.51 The

U.S. Army also places major emphasis on learning from mistakes, indicative that they also embrace a

more controlling transactional leadership style. Much the same way a dance teacher, with benevolent

intent, would video her students’ performance to later point out their mistakes.

The great leader is he who the people say, 'We did it ourselves.'

--LaoTzu,AuthorofTaoTeChing

• The Transactional or Path-Goal Leadership Style: This is more of a “chin down” top-

down style. It's about operationalising strategy. Through a more ‘hard’ managerial style of leadership,

a contract or promise of extrinsic reward and punishment is used (carrot and stick, bargains or

exchanges between leader and followers). It could be assumed that employees inherently dislike work

and need to be coerced, controlled, or threatened with punishment and reward to achieve goals. The

leader influences more than inspires. There is order to which the follower attempts to comply. Policies



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and deadlines are set. The leader is results and task-oriented. Productivity comes before people. The

leader trains, monitors, focuses on mistakes and achievements, and gets individuals or the group to

think, feel and act. Why? Because, transactionally, the followers expect something in return for their

input. There is a consequence, and that is why “the drive to acquire” underlies motivation.52

Interestingly, female leaders are better suited to the reward dimension of transactional leadership.53

Team leadership guru, Richard Hackman, suggests ‘When a piece of work has clear consequences for

team members or for the well-being of other people, members are more likely to engage the full range

of their talents in executing the work.’54 Yes, it is a controlling, but not necessarily a manipulative or

self-serving style. In fact, if the leader has legitimate power due to their TEC traits (position and

personal qualities), this transactional leadership style is drastically more effective. When legitimacy is

present, Tom Tyler says, ‘… people feel personally responsible for following those rules. Hence,

compliance becomes self-regulatory.’55 Nevertheless, the emotional joy of anticipated gain and

positive reinforcement (greed or hope; “carrot” stimulus) combined with the emotional fear or pain

avoidance (“stick”), is what motivates the group and individual. Fear creates anxiety, and not

achieving a target in front of peers can create shame and embarrassment (peer pressure). Professor

Lynda Gratton warns, ‘Type A time-urgent people reduce the innovative performance of the team

because they tended to impose strict, linear schedules on team members pushing them to focus on one

primary task at a time and constantly warning about the time remaining to complete the task. When

time is compressed collaborators typically become anxious.’ Gratton also warns that if individuals are

too highly incentivised, they will knowledge hoard and not have a cooperative mind-set. 56 Therefore,

working with overly greedy-fearful colleagues surely can’t be the best form of leadership, which is

why followers need other intrinsic motivators; motivators brought out by a more inspirational “chin

up” or transformational style. Where creative thinking is required, transformational leadership

triumphs. The transformational leader says, “Most people would never be able to get that report on

my desk by Monday morning; but you’re different; I know that you can do it!” A transactional leader

says, “I want your report on my desk first thing Monday morning; or else you’re fired and/or you will

not get your bonus!”

Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person at the right time, and for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not within everyone's

power and that is not easy. – Aristotle(384BC–322BC)



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GetTheBalanceRight

We find that financial incentives can result in a negative impact on overall performance.

--Dr.BerndIrlenbusch,LondonSchoolofEconomics

As productivity is generally underpinned by morale, using a blend of “T&T” (transformational and transactional styles) is the perfect 21 Century style. In 1939 Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lipitt, and Ralph White’s Management Grid would have called transformational leadership “country club style” (people oriented), and transactional leadership “produce or perish style” (production oriented); they termed a focus on both people and production they called “team style”. This is why women (if given the chance) are becoming such great natural team leaders, because they can often read the “people” situation better than men — they're more androgynous — seamlessly enabling them to switch from 'hard' to 'soft' depending on the situation, and reserving the command-and-control style for crises. The Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management says, “Business leaders are losing out on up to 520 hours of productivity per employee every year, because they fail to manage the outcomes and energy levels of their staff effectively which is a key driver of business performance.”

In Walter Isaacson’s Harvard Business Review article (April, 2012), The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs, he

outlined Jobs as combining both transformational and transactional styles:

It'simportanttoappreciatethat[Steve]Job'srudenessandroughnesswereaccompaniedbyanabilitytobe

inspirational.HeinfusedAppleemployeeswithanabidingpassiontocreategroundbreakingproductsandabelief

thattheycouldaccomplishwhatseemedimpossible.CEOswhostudyJobsanddecidetoemulatehisroughness

withoutunderstandinghisabilitytogenerateloyaltymakeadangerousmistake.SomeCEOsaregreatatvision;

othersaremanagerswhoknowthatGodisinthedetails.Jobswasboth.

In the movie Any Given Sunday, Al Pacino’s role as football coach also demonstrates a good T&T style when he talks to his team before their pivotal match: ‘Now I can't make you do it. �You gotta look at the guy next to you. �Look into his eyes. �Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you…. That’s a team, gentlemen. � And either we heal now, as a team, � or we will die as individuals.’ When you watch the movie you can visibly see the change in his team’s emotional energy levels (transformational leadership), and when he ends off his motivational talk with the dire consequence of not working as a team (transactional leadership), they are even more motivated to win.

It is important to realise that leaders and managers have power levers of persuasion at their disposal, and again, they need to know when to blend and balance them. With their associated neurotransmitter in parenthesis, the persuasion levers are: legitimate power (oxytocin), reward power (dopamine), coercive power (norepinephrine), expert power (oxytocin & norepinephrine), information power (oxytocin), charisma power (oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine), and referent power by association (oxytocin). 57 However, I would certainly add one more lever of influence, trust power (oxytocin). The emotion of trust should be the central lever. Whether leading, selling or negotiating, being principled, committed to agreed upon values and consciously choosing integrity, must permeate every action across the organisation and country. Like all three TEC traits, trust needs to be engrained into the habitual thoughts, emotions and behavior of both leader and follower. Between themselves, followers need trust, an emotional bond and competencies too.



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Figure4.4:Thefourneurotransmittersthatleadersneedtoproduceinfollowers(IanRheeder,2012)

Oxytocin

Dopamine

Serotonin

Reward-Mo6va6onRewarddrivenLearning

Challenging/IntenseEnvironmentEnhancesawareness&Learning

Feel-GoodMemory&Learning

HugorLoveHormoneBonding,Contentment,Calmness

Norepinephrine

Warmth Happiness

Energy Energy



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THENEUROSCIENCEofPERSUASION

Consider two leadership strengths: forcefulness (driving your team hard) and consensus-building

(getting everyone’s agreement on decisions). Overdo forcefulness, and your team’s productivity

may improve but its morale will weaken, eventually undercutting productivity. Overdo

consensus-building, and morale may rise but productivity might ultimately suffer (for instance,

decisions take too long), eventually eroding morale. --RobertE.KaplanandRobertB.Kaiser(2009)

With a background in both transformational and transactional leadership, we can now cover the three TEC qualities in

detail: trust, emotional bond and competence.

1. Trust

You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do. –- HenryFord

Now after apartheid, we're shocked to discover that people can be corrupt, working for their own

self-advancement. That wasn't the case during the struggle. --DesmondTutu(HarvardBusinessReview,2011)

Only rarely do I hear what I believe is the only right answer for wanting to be a leader: helping

others. --JohnMaxwell(2008)

Between 1992 and 2012, Sir Terry Leahy grew the UK retailer Tesco ten times faster than other major UK retailers.

At the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit 2012, Sir Terry Leahy said this about values; "Vision, values and culture.

This matters more than all the hard skills that we spend time on."

In 2004 the Hay Group, a global management consultancy, discovered 75 components of employee satisfaction

(Lamb, McKee, 2004, Applied Public Relations). It should come as no surprise that trust in the C-suite was the most

reliable predictor of employee satisfaction, followed by effective communication of the vision and mission.

Specifically, followers want to know how to implement the strategy and exactly what role they play.

One of the most well document causes of human life has been religious war. Of course religious wars are mainly



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caused by value incongruence.

CredibleCharacterandCommittedtoSharedValues(ReputationalCapital)

During their tenure, even the best leaders make mistakes, which is why Colin Powell rightfully said, ‘Trust is the

essence of leadership.’ In his book, Questions of Character, Joseph Badaracco Jr. compares a great leader to an old

tree, that has deep “value-based” roots, and high reaching branches that sway and bow down to the environment.58

Over the long-term, it is this well stocked ‘trust or respect account’ — this reputational capital and this ethical

climate — that will carry a floundering leader through tough times. James Burns refers to this as the moral value

leader, who should meet follower’s aspirations and personal values.59 Values are internal states that people feel are

good, appropriate and moral. Accommodating people’s values builds trust. How was the illegitimate dictator of

Libya, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, toppled after 42-years in power? Sharing a strong value congruence with their

people, religious Muslim leaders requested that their congregations take up arms against the illegitimate leader. Using

shared values this is how the extraordinary social cohesiveness of Libyan rebels was brought about. Professors of

psychology, Jan Hoogervorst, Henk van der Flier, and Paul Koopman suggest that an excellent leader must build trust

through shared values, communicate empathy through their actions, and motivate others to find self-actualisation.60

Brands are nothing more than trust. -- JamesPatterson,Author(2006)

The four most powerful trust building questions the moral leader can ask another human are: ‘What do you want?’,

‘What is important to you about …?’, ‘How would you feel about …?’, and ‘What do you think about …?’ To

complete these sentences, you need to insert the topic of conversation after “about …”. If you ask someone these

four polite and extremely relevant questions, you would have created trust and an emotional bond, whilst also

receiving valuable feedback.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. --TheodoreRoosevelt,26thPresidentoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica(1901–1909)

Trust and respect is slowly earned, but forms the credible foundations from which all relationships are forged. Any

behavior that damages this platform will adversely have a ripple affect on all relationships throughout the group. That

goes for a high-trust salesperson too, their previously demonstrated sincerity, ethics and integrity reduces the client’s

risk when seeking another consultation. Because they have a track record of good integrity and corporate governance,

this show of ethics by a leaders or salesperson, is a display of their true nature, which builds trust.

In his book Leadership, Etsko Schuitema defines leadership as, ‘Leadership is about cultivating loyalty, trust and

willingness. This only happens when whoever is in charge is genuinely there to serve. Under these conditions,

subordinates will do things for them because they want to. If leaders have the willingness of their people they have



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real power.’61

Etsko's (1998) approach is in line with Eales-White (2003, The COGAL concept of leadership) definition; Eales-

White says a follower will only allow himself or herself to be guided by a leader if the follower first accepts the

teachings of the leader. Indeed, leadership is about the perspective of the follower.

Many leadership experts allude to the emotional or social "engagement" trait of a leader. Erkutlu (2008, The impact of

transformational leadership on organisational and leadership effectiveness) suggests leadership is about attaining an

organisation's objectives, but this first requires an understanding of the group's culture. Erkutlu suggests leadership is

a "social influencing process".

Ethical leaders concentrate on what John Elkington in his book Cannibals with Forks (1998) calls the triple bottom

line — “people, planet and profit”. John Maxwell reminds us how important character is when he says, ‘There are

really only three kinds of people. Those who don’t succeed, those who achieve success temporarily, and those who

become and remain successful. Having character is the only way to sustain success. No matter how talented or rich or

attractive people are, they will not be able to outrun their character.’62 Regularly top leaders, managers and elite

sportspeople make forgivable mistakes revealing their technical incompetence in certain areas. However when their

corrupt actions are exposed, they go down in flames (unless of course their sinister followers value corruption too).

Extremely competent and popular South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, instantly destroyed his captaincy

when caught accepting a bribe for match fixing. Leaders fall from grace in this way because the number one key

success factor in all healthy relationships is integrity — not communication as is so often prescribed by psychologist.

Ethical actions speak louder than ethical words. The “trust” in TEC Model is the foundation, and your credible

character is the cement that keeps it all together. With this in mind, be careful of who you closely associate with,

because followers will be watching carefully who you sail with. As the Japanese Proverb goes, ‘When the character of

a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.’

No matter how great the vision, if the people don't first buy-in to the leader, they will never buy-in to the vision.

In any relationship, the platform of trust is even more important than the emotional bond of love; because where there

is mistrust, love will soon wane too. Robert Plutchik (1927 – 2006), was professor emeritus at the Albert Einstein

College of Medicine and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, singled out trust as one of the eight

basic emotions we feel, and that the opposite or bipolar emotion to trust is disgust (also one of the big-8). The

opposite of a high-trust leader therefore should be described as a high-disgust leader.

Because of our primary survival need for clarity, we either box people “I trust you”, or “I have disgust for you”. There

is no lukewarm state of indifference. This sheds light on why most customers who defect, defect to the opposition just

because of indifference (lukewarmness). In other words, if there is no evidence of trust, the feeling of disgust sets in.



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Nature had just programmed us this way. This is why it is so important for the leader to go out on a limb and create

the physical evidence that they actually are on the side of their group. And why the leader needs a track record of

integrity before s/he enters into a leadership position.

Glass, china and reputations are easily cracked, and never mended well.

--BenjaminFranklin

Philip Evans and Bob Wolf describe the benefit of trust as follows, ‘When people trust one another, they are more

likely to collaborate freely and productively. When people trust their organisations they are more likely to give of

themselves now in anticipation of future rewards…. Under some circumstances, trust is a viable substitute for market

contracts and hierarchical authority, not just in small teams but also in very large communities.’63 But first the leader

should trust, respect, value and be honest with them. As with respect, trust capital takes time to build and has a

powerful influence on all productive relationships (including the most important relationship, the relationship with

yourself). Yet where there is no trust in the leader, performance-destroying suspicion and a tacit uneasiness — a

disconnection — is felt across all levels in an organization, country, family or team. Remember, there is no lukewarm

state. This anxiety or nervousness is felt in the limbic system, causing our prefrontal cortex to make costly mistakes.

ThePeopleDecideBehindYourBack

With the pervasiveness of social media, and the speed that it virally spreads, it may be more about what we say to

each other (about the leader), than about what the leader says to us. In this radical new world of transparency there is

no place to hide for the falsehearted leader; fortunately this also plays into the hands of the leader with reputational

capital. The high-trust leader with respected ethos inherently possesses more legitimate trust-power (ref. the 7-levers

of persuasion, Fig. 4.1). A great leader’s reputation, proven competence, benevolence and wisdom (relevant

experience and education) builds trust in the follower. Social psychologists Tom Tyler and Peter Degoey divided their

study of trust (which produces oxytocin) in authorities into two elements: trust in “competence” and trust in the

“benevolence” of the leader; with the emphasis on compassion or benevolence.64 That is why in the TEC Leadership

Model (see Figure 4.3 above), there are trust-arrows (oxytocin) that feed from both the “competence” and “emotional

engagement” segments to the “trust” segment. Competence and emotional bond both build trust.

What people say behind your back is your standing in the community.

--EdgarWatsonHowe,Editorandnovelist,(1853-1937)

So vital at the start of a leader-follower relationship, trustworthiness gives the leader the necessary ethical appeal to

begin the leadership process. Trust keeps them on the thin-blue "line". They have consciously chosen integrity as a

personal value and are not afraid of being found out. They are self-accountable and principle-centred people — ‘The



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Buck Stops Here’ individuals. Regal-eagles; not pass-the-buck duck.

Their warm smile and body language is genuine. The leader has a conscience and is polite, alert and relevant (PAR).

The untrustworthy and disingenuous leader is often seen plugging energy into their private self-serving goals and

issues, all of which are probably irrelevant to followers. The untrustworthy leader would need to over-deliver on fear

to influence or manipulate. But overused, fear does not inspire, it causes resentful short-term compliance.

I know of no data showing that anxious, fearful employees are more creative or productive. We

know that people are happiest when they’re appropriately challenged.

--DanielGilbert,Harvardprofessorofpsychology(2012)

Influential and inspirational leaders take full responsibility for leading, mentoring and coaching — every day —

enterprise-wide. They coach because when they go, they want to leave a legacy of trained leaders behind. When

addressing a group or one-on-one, there’s an easy calmness about the interaction. They’re 100 percent committed to

delivering 100 percent, and demand the same standards from their team. They’re crystal clear about the joint vision,

core purpose and higher values that will achieve the vision. Followers thus have a huge “why” to work and are on a

mission to achieve the company’s vision and goals. They’re passionate about performance, discipline (discipline is a

form of love) and the organisation’s energy levels — every day. Before hiring staff, they respect their followers’

personal values and make certain there is a match with the organisation’s core values and the unwritten ground rules.

Furthermore, the leader is trusted because there is congruence between what he says he believes in and his actions.

What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect for the followers.

--JimO’Toole

In their book The Leadership Pipeline, Charan, Drotter and Noel concluded that values can be more precious than

skill; they said, ‘This can cause all sorts of problems, since skills applied without concomitant values are not applied

with enthusiasm, energy, and innovation.’65 For instance an MBA graduate may be technically skilled, however if they

do not value strategy and the implementation thereof, their technical competencies are of almost no value at all. Skills

need the appropriate associated values to make competencies come alive. Because some leaders do not know what

they really want in their private and business lives, the purposelessness and valuelessness sets them off in any old

direction. But without consciously having chosen guiding core values (i.e. integrity), they make up their values as they

stumble along (value will be discussed in detail in Chap 5). Thus followers observe inconsistencies in their and their

leader's actions, and trust is lost. Desperate for the direction of guiding values, the valueless leader unconsciously will

also manipulate followers to adhere to their changing inner norms. Remember, bad leaders may influence, inspire and

manipulate. However great leaders find the right balance of both influence and inspiration, but never manipulate.



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Great leaders are transparent before, during and after the journey.

If the methods you employ aren't consistent with who you are, you're a manipulator.

--DanRockwell(a.k.a.LeadershipFreak)

In the challenge of change, great leaders are agents that exude a positive and enthusiastic attitude. This positive

attitude (the glass is half-full) builds trust in the immediate future. They’re intent on leading the vision, and because

of their positive energy, followers follow. The leader trusts and is interested in their followers; the followers thus

reciprocate trust. Trust begets trust. There is transparency and conflict is dealt with as it arises. This “law of

transparency”, leads to intimacy, which leads to trust, which is what leads to strong relationships.Their moral

compass always points north. High-trust leaders lead and influence by personal example, and thus instill confidence

for their team to follow. They share their knowledge. They start the forward momentum by personally executing

some of the strategic plan. They are naturally attractive because they look, sound, and act like leaders. They’re

authentic. From their dress code to their behavior, they’re consistent in building their personal brand equity. They

look you in the eye and listen. Disingenuous leaders, with little character but lots of personality, create a thin veneer

of “trust” — but eventually get caught out.

The greatest motivational act one person can do for another is to listen.

–-RoyE.Moody

Where there is no self-trust, the leader hesitates. Where there is no trust of the leader, followers hesitate. Self-trust

and self-sacrifice displays such commitment that it compels others to follow. Authors Mary Buffett and David Clark

in Warren Buffett’s Management Secrets, describe a leader as follows: ‘A true leader follows the beat of his or her

own drummer, while a bureaucrat bends to the perceived wishes of others.’66 This is important — the leader should

first convincingly lead themselves. This sort of self-trust and sacrifice is proof that the leader has vested interest in

making a difference. And it is with this respectful attitude of their followers, that makes conflict resolution easily and

openly dealt with.

He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted. No trust given, none received.

--LaoTzu,AuthorofTaoTeChing

Followers tend to follow people they trust and respect. Observed competence and wisdom creates trust and an

emotional bond. Respect gives the leader authority and trustworthiness. The intent of the leader comes across as

having a genuine concern or compassion for the wellbeing of the team.

Self-esteem — emotional capital — forms the basis on which we cultivate trusting relationships. In his book The

CEO Parado: The Privilege and Accountability of Leadership (AMACOM, 1992), Thomas R. Horton suggests self-



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esteem is essential. Great leaders like themselves and transfer this energy; they then in turn succeed through the work

of their energised followers. Leaders are secure enough to relinquish some of their authority and groom their

successors well in advance. They love empowering their team. They’re conscious, have a conscience and are

compassionate. When leaders delegate tasks, the followers are not just given responsibility, but along with this

accountability they are empowered by being given the necessary authority and independence as well. With high self-

esteem, they bounce back from failure fast. And when leaders know their own weaknesses, they promptly draw in the

strengths of their more competent followers’ TEC traits. This is why, as illustrated in Figure 4.3 above, the micro

factors (context) are so important for successful leadership.

Great leaders embrace different cultures and views, and don’t suffer from a labeling bias that certain ethnic groups are

good or bad. Together with this respect, proven competencies and common understanding, the leader is worth fighting

for. As great businesses and integrity mix perfectly, make it your number one value to respect yourself and others.

2.Engagement

The most important thing about a commander is his effect on morale." –-FieldMarshallViscountSlim

WhenUCTprofessorTimNoakesspokeabouttheroleofthecoach(LeadershipSummit,30Aug2012),hesaid,“someone

who tells an athlete that she can do what she absolutely thinks she can’t do.”

"A leader will take you further than you would go on your own. It's what you inspire others to do;

their self-esteem. You don't want one leader you want thousands; for them to feel so good about the

business that they will step forward to put things right." Tesco's celebrated CEO, Sir Leahy (2012)

InspirationalVision,CharismaandCompassion(RelationalCapital)

What we’ve discovered is that people make extraordinary things happen by liberating the leader

within everyone.

--JamesKouzesandBarryPosner,TheLeadershipChallenge,2002,p.xxiii

Remember, we are first and foremost a social species. We have a strong need to connect with those around us, and the

leader who does not engage, would have created social distance between him and his group. In their Harvard

Business Review article, Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model, Nitin Nohria, Boris Groysberg and Linda-

Eling Lee suggest that ‘the drive to bond’ is one of ‘the four drives that underlie motivation’. The best way to do this,

they said, ‘is to create a culture that promotes teamwork, collaboration, openness, and friendship.’67 A leader’s ethos

is their credible character. Pathos is their compassionate, persuasive and memorable charismatic personality, which



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creates an emotional bond, resonance or engagement with followers. Although some leaders are predisposed with

“natural” charisma, it seems that many visible leaders have learnt how to create an emotional bond with their group.

In a quiet way, Nelson Mandela was charismatic when he danced before his speeches. Thabo Mbeki delivered his

well written “I am an African” speech. Jacob Zuma sang and did his “machine gun” dance. Draped in robes and

wearing sandals, contributed to Mahatma Gandhi charisma. Sleeves rolled up, and without losing eye contact with the

crowd, Barack Obama delivers charismatic speeches. In his book Winning, Jack Welch talks about the 4Es of

leadership: energy (personal), energise (the team), execution (goal-oriented) and edge (competencies). It’s the energy

of the leader that energizes the team. Reason does not trigger action; emotions do. How else can a leader acquire and

maintain a group’s attention?

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between

the two, the leader must become servant and debtor.

--MaxduPree(LeadershipIsanArt,2004)

A leaders job is to create a functional environment, which may first mean dismantling a dysfunctional culture. When

the leader genuinely values the contribution of the group, followers’ start feeling and saying to themselves, “We

genuinely do matter.” In this way the leader accumulates relational capital within her group. From a neurobiological

perspective, when the ethos of trust is also present, mere liking triggers and creates an oxytocin-producing bond

(oxytocin is often called the “cuddle” hormone, released by our hypothalamus). This emotional bond or social

influence activates the reward centre of the limbic system, further releasing the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine.

The limbic system becomes aglow with a warm sensation, adding a morale boosting richness to the workplace. The

follower wants to cooperate and becomes altruistic. Incredibly neuroeconomist Paul Zak’s studies show that people

are motivated by reciprocity and altruism as much as raw self-interest. Thus by engaging with people at this

emotional-oxytocin level, the interest in the leader’s message escalates. With this pathos — this emotionally

appealing human side to them — the leader possesses charismatic relational power — social capital — the

influencing power at the heart of a transformational leadership style. Whether real or a mere perception created by

the media or a smart speechwriter, there is a social-psychological connection. Moreover, Gallup’s consultants Brian

Brim and Jim Asplund cite that when a supervisor focuses on a follower’s strengths, they are over thirty times more

engaged at work, versus a sample that was ignored. People come to work because they want to. The leader values the

fact that it is not about them, but about the team. But where there is no emotional bond, debilitating insecurity,

loneliness, disengagement (mind wandering) and fear creeps into the workplace — people go to work because they

have to. Expressionless faces and deadpan stares (disengagement) tell the story of the dysfunctional leader and

workplace.



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The single greatest advantage in the modern economy is a happy and engaged workforce.

--ShawnAchor,GoodThinkIncorporated,authorofTheHappinessAdvantage,2012

The leader needs to look and sound the part. Their tone of voice and body language is crucial. Those who heard the

Nixon-Kennedy United States presidential election debate on radio rated the eloquent Richard Nixon higher. Those

who saw the debate on TV, rated the more handsome, cool, calmer and more confident looking John F Kennedy

higher. So thanks to those 88% of Americans who owned a TV in 1960, Kennedy won (Kennedy also wore makeup).

Those who read Hitler’s speeches, did not rate him high; yet his pathos bewitched those who saw and heard him.

What’s more, due to our fast changing business landscape, professors at Insead, Herminia Ibarra and Morten Hansen

say, ‘A hyperconnected business world, spurred on by social media and globalisation, demands a leadership style that

can harness the power of connections. Leaders need to shed the command-and-control and consensus styles in favour

of collaborative leadership.’68 The new paradigm is, leaders are members of a community, not authoritarian figures in

charge of followers.69 A supportive style has been shown to produce higher organisational performance and

cohesiveness than a directive or authoritarian style.70 This is especially relevant when attracting and keeping the best

talent. This engagement or emotional connection leads to bottom line returns, less staff turnover and increased

customer satisfaction. Emotional connection therefore can “pay off as much as pay”.71 Charalambos Vlachoutsicos,

professor at Athens University of Economics and Business says, ‘When confronted with such a boss [command-and-

control style], employees respond by jealously guarding their only source of power — their distinctive experience —

and the team is driven apart.’ Vlachoutsicos suggests, ‘Managers should view every interaction with subordinates,

not just formal one-on-one meetings, as a chance to tap their expertise and encourage them to express what they

really think’72

“Trade is a social act.”-- John Stuart Mills

In motivational theory there are two types of motivators: Intrinsic and extrinsic. To inspire followers we can use

extrinsic motivators like money. Though, to be truly motivated, inspiration must come from within (intrinsic). A good

leader can also achieve this by leading followers to discover the own internal drivers. Thus great leaders are the

agents — catalysts — for both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Great leaders are extremely careful at criticizing, as

they know that badly delivered criticism will kill motivation for a long time. At the heart of McKinsey 7S Model

(shared values, skills, strategy, structure, systems, style of leadership, staff) is the soft subject of “shared values” or

“superordinate goals”, reminding us how important intrinsic motivation is. Although intangible, it is these shared

super-ordinate goals and values that keep firms abreast of their competition. “A 5 percent increase in employee commitment leads to a 1.8 percent increase in



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customer commitment and a 0.5 percent increase in financial results. We need to continue showing this type of relationship between HR and financial results.” ~Huselid,Becker&Ulrich

At the centre of building an emotional bond is a compassion (Latin for "co-suffering") for others, where the leader

shows compassion by sharing followers’ concerns. Traced back to more than 2000 BCE, almost every culture and

religion has one thing in common, a code of “ethics of reciprocity”, often referred to as The Golden Rule. Confucius

(551–479 BCE) stated, ‘What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.’ However, almost every version

of this rule is too ethnocentric and will not always work cross-culturally. The most empathetic, compassionate and

customer-centric version of the Golden Rule is the Platinum Rule, ‘Do to others as they want you to do to them.’ Or

‘Do to your followers as they want you to do to them.’ Without shooting yourself in the foot, or whilst also

maintaining a similar respect for yourself, this Platinum Rule should be applied to more than just your in-group, but

to all stakeholders. The benefit of the Platinum Rule is rapport, trust and understanding swiftly transpire when a

stakeholder appreciates that you can see things from their point of view. Very productive. When followers trust you,

they will consider how actions will impact on the vision. In a display of loyalty, they will defend you and the co-

created vision. Because there is trust and an emotional connection, they will share their thoughts and feelings.

Great leaders are perceptive observers of the complex environment. They are competent team builders, understand

technology, coach well, manage their own lives competently, have a great global perspective, and think strategically.

Change programs are executed with excitement because the leaders ‘sell’ and support the program well. With these

characteristics, their advice and coaching is trusted.

Leaders are facilitators — agents or catalysts — responsible for what professor of psychology Robert Plutchik termed

the eight biologically primitive (basic) emotions we feel. Plutchik also cited that they are bipolar and are designed by

nature to trigger behavior.73 He also realised that all other emotions are merely derivatives or mixtures of these

primary emotions. Plutchik’s big-8 emotions are: joy vs. sadness; anger vs. fear; trust vs. disgust; and surprise vs.

anticipation. Emotional energy spills over into the follower’s private lives (even whilst asleep), and then returns back

to work the next morning. Bearing this in mind, leaders should be creators of “calm energy” and positive “creative

tension”. Transformational leaders should bring on emotions of trust (opposite of disgust), anticipation (opposite of

surprise), joy (opposite sadness), love (joy + acceptance), optimism (anticipation + joy), acceptance, confidence,

calmness, desire, determination, friendship, gratitude, hope, inspiration, kindness, patience, peace and zest for life. Yet

in context, strongly dependent on the leaders experience too, one may be strongly biased towards using either

transformational and/or transactional styles. However, it must be mentioned that a well-timed dollop of anxiety or

anger can be beneficial to getting an otherwise unwilling follower to act. Which is why the duality of both

transformational and transactional leadership styles work well together. The cocktail of emotions needs to be finely



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balanced.

The word educate is taken from two Latin words, educere and ducere, which means “to change from within” and “to

lead”. A great transformational leader educates his followers and “brings forth what is within”, thus keeps their

followers “chins up” with intrinsic motivators. Excited about their future, a bond is formed with the leader. With this

excitement, the transformational leader now also puts his transactional leadership hat on and gets their “chins down”

to work. They respect the corporate culture and status quo, but know that “the unwritten ground rules” — the norms

— may need to be challenged. Courageously, they set big-hairy-audacious-goals (BHAGs). This display of social

intelligence (in 1920 psychologist E. L. Thorndike described the ability to understand and influence other people as

“social intelligence”) and individual courage is soaked up by the mirror neurons of followers, and then passed on to

new recruits and all stakeholders. The self-serving leader, however, devotes enormous energy educating to deceive,

leaving followers feeling manipulated, severing any positive emotional bond that was initially formed.

There is a strong awareness that loyal inter-personal relationships are key. There is an awareness that followers have

personal aspirations. This is how an appealing leader (democrat or autocrat) may get a fragmented crowd to focus on

a common goal or shared vision, and thus shape the co-created and co-opted future. They say, ‘When we pull this off,

we’re all going to celebrate!’ He moves their mood, individually or as a group, to achieve the common vision and

purpose. Professor Joseph S. Nye’s delicately researched book, The Power To Lead, defines leadership as, ‘I define

leaders as those who help a group create and achieve shared goals.’74 To achieve this, great leaders have unique

personalities and social skills, and depending on the situation, leverage off them appropriately. Preferably in their

home language, the leader appeals to their followers’ emotions (i.e. trust, anticipated hopes and fears) through

connecting with their intrinsic values. They ask for their followers input. Thus giving them a trustworthy “why” to

believe, followers willingly stride forward and thus become self-propelled agents themselves. Inspired, followers then

cognitively and behaviorally cause the necessary change, whilst affecting all other stakeholders with the same energy. In this environment of innovation, valuable ideas are voluntarily brought to the table, growing the business in leaps

and bounds.

To recap, there are several ways to persuade (influence and inspire) a follower: legitimate authority (job title, rank),

remuneration (bonus power), trust (integrity), reasonable logic (skill/competence and knowledge), charisma or

referent power (emotional engagement), or as a last resort, unethically manipulate them through hard coercion.

Manipulative or toxic leaders (usually without competencies or trust) unfortunately over-deliver on charismatic

pathos to gain their followers’ vote. Done for effect, this manipulative pathos gave rise to Ronald Reagan saying,

‘The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ Hence

the manipulative self-serving leader may be liked, but over time this abusive leader-follower relationship will leave

the followers in a worse situation, thus trust is eventually shattered. Emotional disengagement occurs. The leader now



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exposed must start building trust from scratch again. Interestingly, an uneducated audience (often where the voter

base lies) may never know the truth; which is how a powerful but manipulative elitist public figure gets voted in

again. And what’s worse, they normally surround themselves with a pack of elitist henchmen, normally groomed to

succeed them. 2 300 years ago it was this overworked charm (pathos) that deeply troubled two of Socrates’ students,

Plato and Aristotle; they both observed that powerful public figures often used ambiguities of language, entertainment

and sleight-of-hand promises to deceive the ‘freely consented’ audience (i.e. Adolph Hitler and Idi Ami). Should this

pathos power — this charm, charisma and inspirational power over followers — alone qualify a leader? Absolutely

not. Yet this cunning, cold (but initially seemingly warm) and uncompassionate Machiavellian style still happens

today at political rallies. The neuroscience says: through humour or edutainment you get serotonin (‘happy’ drug) and

oxytocin (‘cuddle’ drug) to flow, causing your audience's brain to becomes open and engaged to what you say next.

But without ethos and logos accompanying pathos, pathos is hot deceptive air — charming rhetoric. Rhetorical

protection against the scarcity of their trust and competence. And over time, after years of promise, when their act

starts to wear thin, they find a scapegoat. With their stunning lack of competencies, unethical leaders (including

religious cult leaders), overawe followers into compliance by the overemphasis of the fantasized future. To recruit as

many followers as possible, charismatic leaders drum up valuable “ideological goals”.75 Vision is key, but be careful

of these seductive ‘soft’ Machiavellian illusions. When leaders are lacking rational “expertise”, they counteract by

building strong interpersonal engagement with followers, which arouses emotions.76 What’s more, they have their

speeches written for them so they sound like experts (logos). Great leaders, on the other hand, have competencies to

deliver on their promises, and don’t need speechwriters. Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs, for instance, may lack the

charisma of a Hollywood actor, but they’re loaded with authenticity and competencies. And it is these qualities (ethos

and logos) that build an emotional bond with followers. The lesson: followers need to be aware that voting for a party

based on emotions alone is not rational.

Charisma itself raises interesting moral issues as a soft power instrument. When combined with

narcissism, it can be highly dangerous.–ProfessorJosephS.Nye(2008)

For thousands of years elephants have been tamed using fear and punishment. This is a ‘hard’ compulsive or coercive

leadership style. However these elephants are known to turn on their trainers, go insane or commit suicide by standing

on their trunks or running off a cliff. The new paradigm of power is to train elephants using trust, a loving emotional

bond and reward. This is a ‘soft’ charismatic style, but unlike a ‘soft’ manipulative Machiavellian style, it is loaded

with benevolent intent. And so it should be for the 21-Century leader; the seductive ‘soft’ but benevolent style of

leadership is proving to be much more successful. However, depending on the context of battle, this ‘soft’ style should

be complimented with, from time-to-time, a ‘hard’ transactional leadership style. We must remember, like the Italian

proverb points out, ‘After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.’

Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well-communicated, building



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trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential. --

WarrenBennis

BuildingTrustinaTransparentandEmotionallyEngagingWorld

If a leader and her followers completed a self-analysis using a Johari Window, a cognitive psychology tool created by

Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (1955) to map interpersonal awareness and effective communication, it’s evident that

a narcissistic leader would have aspects that their followers recognise, but they themselves are unaware of — in other

words, they have self-perceptive blind-spots. Yet, the more the individual starts to feel comfortable in their own skin

— the more they start understanding themselves — the more they begin to spontaneously reveal themselves to

themselves and others. As their fear of themselves and others diminishes, the more they start opening up the

communication processes. This comfortable situation, created by mutual trust, forms the basis for confronting

necessary issues in a relaxed atmosphere. The Johari Window requires that both disclosure and feedback are

necessary for leaders and followers to effectively communicate. Being open and honest — revealing your agenda —

takes courage, but it creates an engaging emotional bond. When feedback is couched in previous praise and respect,

it’s more easily accepted. The other advantage of communicating this way (confessing and being open to feedback) is

that both parties now can enact the Platinum Rule, and ‘Do to each other what each other wants to be done.’ In their

article The Dark Side of Organizations Dr. Stewart Hase, Alan Davies and Bob Dick use the Johari Window to

highlight that self-awareness is crucial to organizational effectiveness, ‘The more I know about myself, the more self

determination I have about my actions.’ they said.77 It was Peter Drucker who observed that without self-awareness,

all our exertions to influence others are driven by habit rather than conscious choice. It’s why Stephen Covey and so

many other leadership experts recommend self-mastery (nurture your talents) and self-leadership (passionately be

comfortable with who you are) are crucial before successful communication and leadership occurs. But in a

leadership environment this requires continual feedback and disclosure. Uri Hasson, professor at the Center of

Mind/Brain Sciences at the University of Trento, has observed the neuroimages of two people speaking, and

recognised that when we “click” with someone, our brainwaves mirror the other person’s. In his article I Can Make

Your Brain Look Like Mine, Hasson says, ‘This is what communication is. It is what humans do best, and it’s unique.

The listener's brain activity begins to mirror the speaker’s.’78 When proper communication flows, this is neurological

proof of the emotional connection between two people.

Previously demonstrated trust and competence is not enough to maintain the necessary emotional bond. Before they

can lead and motivate their followers again, great leaders know they need to reconnect at an emotional and intellectual

level. With a healthy self-esteem they have the emotional intelligence (self-awareness and empathy) to manage their

own and their followers’ moods. Sharing freely in two-way dialogue, their commitment, caring and self-esteem rubs



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off. The leader desires the same for her followers — they too need to feel comfortable in their own skin. The leader

needs to understand at what stage of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs they are at, and incorporate David Rock’s SCARF

Model ((SCARF: status (relative to others, how important do they feel), certainty (of future predictions), autonomy (a

sense of freedom to choose or control events), relatedness (sense of feeling ‘safe’ in the presence of others), and

fairness (equality or fair exchange between people)). Doing this will increase job commitment and satisfaction,

motivation and engagement.

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing — that's why we

recommend it daily. --ZigZiglar

Through daily involvement and communication — through stirring emotions — they inspire and influence

(motivate). Great leaders share and daily engage with members at this emotional level. There’s frank gratitude and

compassion in both their smile and actions. They often communicate company results (successes and failures) and are

excellent storytellers at company gatherings and team meetings.

It usually takes more than three weeks to plan a good impromptu speech. --MarkTwain

Followers need to run ‘their’ business like they own the business; this only takes place when there is an incentive and

an emotional bond to the business and/or leaders. Just as medical placebos are healing, so this positive connection

motivates followers. Transparent and open about their feelings, great leaders establish a sincere emotional connection

— a sense of loyalty to their followers — giving more meaning to the workplace. As Daniel Goleman suggests, ‘This

is the true work of a leader: to monitor the emotional tone of the team and to help its members recognize any

underlying dissonance.’79 When leaders have this sort of alertness, trust and respect for their community, followers

don’t want to disappoint — loyalty and trust is returned. Business coach Wolf J. Rinke put it like this, ‘If you

mistrust your employees, you’ll be right 3 percent of the time. If you trust people until they give you a reason not to,

you’ll be right 97 percent of the time.’80 They understand that the more successful the follower is, the more successful

they as leader become. They establish a sense of community by listening and communicating often. Emphasizing that

a leaders relational position is crucial, the great Dr. John Maxwell says, ‘I would vow to love people before trying to

lead them.’ Yet take heed, in his book The Care and Growth Model, E Schuitema talks about “honesty” in leadership,

‘Honesty implies fair punishment as well as fair reward.’ he says.81 In other words, being tough does not mean you

lack empathy. But always be more assertive than aggressive — there should be a "transactional" consequences for

underachieving. Under this organizational climate of co-creation, people work best as they co-act to create a

meaningful vision. Thus the leader does not only leverage off her legitimate job title and

expertise/experience/competence ‘power’ only, but also has charismatic and referent power, making them attractive

to work with. Great leaders rarely only use coercive “control & command” power (authoritarian style), but have



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found the perfect balance between empathy and not being taken advantage of. Leaders pledge their full support to

their team and hold no prejudices. They never stop believing in their team. Charismatic leaders deliberately invest

time, daily, to get to know and understand their team members, and thus earn their respect.

There is only one way under high heaven to get anybody to do anything. Did you ever think of

that? Yes, just one way. And that is by making the other person want to do it. Remember there is

no other way. --DaleCarnegie, 1937

Members want to perform because they realise that the intention of their leader is unselfish benevolence.

An old Chinese proverb goes, ‘He who is not loyal to others will not find others loyal to him.’ Great leaders

frequently have 1:1 meetings. Great leaders spot talent and nurture it. Leaders encourage their members and create an

atmosphere that it’s okay to take risks and fail. They see conflict and failure as an opportunity to learn. Work and

fun are both taken seriously.

Thus the leaders is both trusted and liked. Because of their expertise and wisdom, the leader has a legitimate right to

lead and manage followers. The leader is respected, making conflict mediation easy. As Max Lucade put it, ‘Conflict

is inevitable, but combat is optional.’

The classic question is, should the leader be liked and respected? Although they know that being liked is not as

important as being respected, the brain science is revealing that being liked is more than a bonus. In the context of

friendship — liking your leader is critical. In the extremely uncertain context of war — competence is critical. In the

context of working together — collaborating — liking is very important for both the leaders and follower. American

Psychologist Abraham Maslow realized that our lower order needs (food, water, security) must be satisfied before we

can reach our higher order needs (social, self-esteem, self-actualisation). Again, this is important for both the follower

and the leader. However, the leader should proceed with caution when forming personal relationships at work.

Establishing strong personal friendships with selected team members can easily be construed as favoritism. Secondly,

close personal relationships don’t necessarily lead to healthy managerial relationships. Nevertheless, being liked is

important.

But neuro-leadership expert David Rock in Your Brain at Work, challenges Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and suggests

being liked and treated fairly is a primary social need, ‘as important as food and water at times’.82 Liking yourself

(self-esteem) is a basic need too. Neuroscience is proving this by observing our midbrain (anterior insula in our limbic

system). Rock cites studies by Golnaz Tabibnia from Carnegie Mellon University. Using neuroimaging techniques,

Golnaz has observed that our anterior insula, our midbrain responsible for detecting disgust (i.e. like a disgusting smell

or taste) fires when we detect unfairness. By eavesdropping on the brain, this neuroscience would also illuminate,



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when we negotiate, why we need to make the other party feel like they are liked and being treated fairly. Being trusted

and liked triggers the production of oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin, all of which improves the neurochemistry —

the resource — to think and feel better, without being distracted by an over-aroused limbic system. Its no wonder the

number one reason of resignation, globally, is due to a strained relationship with our line managers. It would appear

that the neuroscience shows that leaders need followers to like them too, not just to get the job done, but for their own

wellbeing. This is also why I have chosen “emotional engagement” as one of the three tenets of leadership — it’s

observable in the brain. Connectedness is vital to maintain a healthy brain. In his article What Brain Science Tells us

About How to Excel, psychiatrist Edward Hallowell warns that, ‘Working on a connected team galvanizes people in

ways nothing else can. But positive connection in business is slipping away, and disengagement is on the rise.’83 In his

book Shine (2011), Hallowell says, ‘Connecting with others is really good for you. And it’s really good for business.’84

Shawn Achor, Phil Stone and Tal Ben-Shahar’s study at Harvard shows a 71 percent correlation between happiness

and positive engagement with one’s social support networks (for contrast, the correlation between smoking and cancer

is only 37 percent). After thousands of focus groups and in-depth interviews with managers and employees, the Gallup

organization drilled down employee engagement and worker morale to their “Q12” list of questions. Measuring these

questions has a direct link to employee productivity, customer loyalty and thus bottom line results. Six of the twelve

questions are people related. Not surprisingly, Q5 is, “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a

person.”, and Q10 is, “I have a best friend at work?” Authors of 12: The Elements of Great Managing (Gallup Press,

2006), Dr. James Harter and Rodd Wagner say, ‘Friends tolerate disagreements better than do those who are not

friends. The good feelings friends share make them more likely to cheer each other on. Friends are more committed to

the goals of the group and work harder.’ "People power" is critical. In their 2002 Journal of Applied Psychology

article, Dr. James K. Harter, Dr. Frank L. Schmidt, and Dr. Theodore L. Hayes indicate that variances in employee

engagement accounts for almost all performance-related variance in organisations.

Stephen Covey said, ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ Assuming they have a bit of self-awareness,

how do you think ousted leaders in the Middle East feel when the streets are filled with voters who hate them!

According to the neuroscience, they feel like they have skipped a few nights sleep and a few meals too. This gets the

leader’s limbic system over-aroused, which leads to irrational decisions too. Unconsciously they use their lizard and

mammalian brains when they are not at ease with themselves (i.e. low self-worth, self-regard, self-esteem, self-

efficacy, self-image). Great leaders are comfortable in their own skin because their followers are generally on their

side. When you are comfortable in your own skin, it allows you to think using your rational prefrontal cortex (human

brain). A great leader does not have to be liked all the time, but over an extended period, they have a problem if they

are not liked (unless they are unfeeling sociopaths or psychopaths who are unaware of others).

Under this organizational climate of co-creation, people work best as they co-act to create a meaningful vision. There

is also consensus that the strategy is in fact needed, relevant and realistic. Leaders know that teamwork and a



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cooperative win-win mindset is part of the corporate culture. There is a sense that everyone cares for each other. The

work environment is conducive to wanting to arrive and stay at work. Supported by great systems, processes and

tools, the average employee is empowered to deliver above average service.

Surround your group with positive people, positive thoughts, and positive ideas and positive things will happen (for you and for your team). Your team’s desire for positive reinforcement never ends, so do it weekly.

3.Competence

LeadingbyExampletoImplementtheMission(ManagerialCapital)

The leader must know; must know that he knows; and must make it abundantly clear to others

that he knows. --ClarenceB.Randall(MakingGoodinManagement,1964)

Make no mistake; strategic leadership is a tough job! You will need both wit and wisdom. The strategic leader is not just warm and fuzzy, but has accumulated hard skills or managerial capital. They have strategic aptitude. Because of their competence they have the courage of their convictions. What good is vision, trust and compassion if the leader does not produce results? A “good” leader can become “great” by daily working at their technical skills and knowledge. By doing so the leader has expanded their leadership intelligence. The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of intelligence is: ‘The ability to gain and apply knowledge and skills.’ That’s leadership intelligence — competence. Because of their prolonged experience through education and practice, they are experts in their field. They are curious critical thinkers. They are full of intuition, intelligence and initiative. They ask the right questions. By reading just 30-minutes a day constitutes 183 hours a year. Leading a public listed company may only require generic leadership competencies. However, certain leadership positions require more specific competence than others. The captain of a ship would undeniably require specific competencies. Leading a police force or military operation would unquestionably require previous military experience. Yet Mangwashi Victoria "Riah" Phiyega was appointed South African's National Police Commissioner in June 2012. With zero military, policing or officer training, her first three months in office was disastrous. With zero riot control experience, her advice on 21 Aug 2012 to her officers was, “Do what you feel is right.” But tough decisions should not be emotional ones. Her decision led to 34 miners being massacred by her police force. She later defended the same officers by saying, "It was the right thing to do" though “we are sorry that lives were lost.”

Managers promoted in an organisation need a new set of leadership competencies. If we observe the TEC Leadership Model, both competence and engagement builds trust. Citing Watkin's article (2012), How Managers Become Leaders (Table 1 below), all seven of his recommended competencies would feed both the engagement and competence segments in the TEC Leadership Model, which build trust in their group. People have a built-in compass that seeks out trust; where there is no trust, people do not follow voluntarily. People literally navigate by trust.



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Table 1: Seven leadership competencies when managers become leaders

All seven of these competencies will assist the leader-manager in approaching and solving complex organisational problems. Using these competencies, leaders will engage more often and appear more competent, which builds trust. Not following Watkin's (2012) seven competencies will trip the leader off the reputational-tightrope.

Walter Isaacson recently revealed Steve Job's 14 leadership tips for CEOs; 12 require hard competencies (refer Table below).

Seven%new%competencies%for%managers%becoming%leaders%1.%Specialist%to%Generalist:%Speak&intelligent&language&of&all&specialist&func1ons.&Systems&to&evaluate&and&develop&talent.&360:degree&feedback&from&all&func1ons.&2.%Analyst%to%Integrator:%Solve&complex&problems&by&integra1ng&cross:func1onal&teams.&Manage&and&integrate&collec1ve&knowledge.&Make:trade:offs&and&explain&why&you&made&them.&3.%Tac?cian%to%Strategist:%ShiB&fluidly&between&zooming:in&and&zooming:out&to&solve&complex&problems.&4.%Bricklayer%to%Architect:%Don’t&mess&with&organisa1onal&design&without&understanding&the&complex&balance&of&strategy,&structure,&processes&and&skills.&You&must&be&a&systems&thinker.&5.%Problem%Solver%to%Agenda%SeFer:%Emphasis&is&more&on&which&problems&need&to&be&solved.&Priori1se&issues&in&an&ambiguous&and&complex&environment.&6.%Warrior%to%Diplomat:%Leader&with&have&a&wide&array&of&cons1tuencies&calling&on&them&for&advice.&Nego1a1on,&persuasion,&conflict&management&and&alliance&building.&7.%Suppor?ng%Role%to%Lead%Role:%Leading&by&example&and&with&a&compelling&vision,&people&are&inspired&to&spread&your&word.&

Source:&Watkins,&M.D.&(2012).&How&Managers&Become&Leaders.&HBR,&June.&pp.65:72.&&



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Table 2: Steve Jobs’ Leadership Lessons Source:Isaacson,W.(2012).TheRealLeadershipLessonsofSteveJobs.HarvardBusiniessReview.April2012.pp.93-102.

A major reason for Singapore’s success is governments deliberate targeting of the brightest brains the country produces. Singapore’s government targets, attracts and rewards hard skills; not the most politically aligned people. Leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the right answers and motivating others to follow.... It means understanding that you don’t have all the answers and then asking the

questions that will lead to the best possible insights. -- JimCollins,(2001)

Caveman was a hunter-gatherer of food — a forager — but today we need to be hunter-gatherers of knowledge,

relevant experience and superior solutions. A leader that has both ethos (credible character) and pathos (charismatic

personality) will flounder without this necessary third trait, logos (talent, leadership intelligence and managerial

capital) required to implement the vision, mission and goals. To be a strong transformational and transactional leader

you need all three TEC qualities. Logos gives the leader expert, referent and information power, making his reign

more legitimate. Leadership intelligence or competence builds trust. When in turmoil, competence reassures the group.

A great strategic leader has the ability to tie the exciting vision to a strategy, and through many small successes, sees it

through to reality. They are not just “technocrats” but have the necessary combat experience too. Wharton School

professor Michael Useem reminds us that, ‘Leadership is at its best when the vision is strategic, the voice persuasive,

Steve%Jobs:%14%Leadership%Lessons%(HBR%April%2012)% TEC%Model%

Focus%(Limited(but(great(product(range)( Competence(

Simplify%(Simplicity(is(the(ul9mate(sophis9ca9on.(Go(deep.)( Competence(

Responsibility%to%The%End%(Passion(is(focus(and(energy)( Competence(

When%behind,%Leapfrog.%Innovate.((iPod(was(built(into(iPhone)( Competence(

Products%before%Profit.%(Apple/Mr(Sculley(and(MicrosoB/Mr(Ballmer(were(hurt(by(leaders(who(put(profit(before(product)(

Competence(

Customer’s%don’t%know%what%they%want.%(Design(&(show(them)( Competence(

Bend%Reality%(Reality(distor9on(field)( Competence(

Impute%(Nail(all(our(senses(–(touch,(smell,(etc.(in(a(product)( Engagement(

Push%for%PerfecRon%(Keep(making(it(beNer.(Redesign.((iStore.)( Competence(

Tolerate%only%“A”%Players%(He(was(rude(and(rough,(but(people(Trusted(him(because(of(his(Engaging(vision,(and(Competence)((

Competence(

Engage%FaceUtoUface%(Crea9vity(from(spontaneous(mee9ngs)( Engagement(

Know%both%the%Big%Picture%and%The%Details% Competence(

Combine%the%HumaniRes%with%The%Sciences((Emo9ons/science)( Engage/Comp(

Stay%Hungry,%Stay%Foolish%(Counter(culture,(highRtech(hippie)( Competence(

((



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the results tangible.’85 They’re technically capable of overseeing the implementation of a customer-centric plan, and if

they don’t have the right answers, they pose the right questions; then they listen more than they speak. A good

example of a “technocrat” without operational or managerial experience was South Africa’s minister of defence,

Magnus Malan. Because of his inexperience and lack of emotional bond with the troops and senior officers, he was

unpopular. Indicative of his persona and insatiable appetite to exercise power, as a 13-year old boy Malan

unsuccessfully ran away from home to join the Union Defence Force. Later, at age 50 and armed with a BSc (Mil)

degree, president PW Botha assisted his meteoric rise in the 1970’s to minister of defence, where he sent soldiers into

combat. ‘Full of bluster and tough talk, he himself never knew what it was like to be under fire…. He also consistently

lied about the extent of casualties.’86 This lack of competence — track record — is easily detected by followers, and

destroys both trust and emotional bond. On the other hand, the experienced Dr. Jan Smuts, complimented by his

brilliant academic records, successfully served and led in three wars; he was also instrumental in the design of the UN.

Developed from decades of experience, U.S. Navy SEALs have a motto, ‘I lead by example in all situations.’

Leaders who do the work, rather than just talk about it, help prevent the knowing-doing gap from opening in the first place. Working on the front lines keeps them in touch with the organization’s real capabilities and challenges; that experience allows them to play a critical role in turning knowledge into action. --JeffreyPfefferandRobertSutton(HarvardBusinessReview,1999)87

To make their case, a great leader not only persuades the ‘heart’, but with logos or competencies, convinces the mind

too. Skilled followers want to be associated with skilled leaders. Their expertise inspires. With a global drain of

competencies migrating to the most favourable economies and companies, leaders need to know how to attract and

retain these skills. To do this, today’s leaders need to understand other cultures and know how to approach them with

a co-operative and sensitive awareness.

The trick is to reach ‘hearts’ and minds without breaching trust along the way. The effective TEC leader never stops

learning and honing their individual qualities — their subject matter and repertoire of skills. Perpetual learning is a

competence multiplier. This requires self-discipline and a pragmatic view of reality, enabling the leader to tackle the

most relevant issues for short, medium and long-term success. They don’t lose credibility by setting an unrealistic

vision. Because of their experience in various situations, they have a fluidity of style that adapts their behavior to the

changing leadership context. In response to this ever-changing “force-field”, the micro and uncontrollable macro

PESTGEL environment (political, economic, sociocultural, technological, global, environmental and legal factors), the

strategic planning process should never stop.

Leadership and learning are indispensible. --JohnF.Kennedy

With a finger on the pulse of ever-changing context, great leaders know when to risk using the appropriate leadership



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style. A great and confident leader does not always get the approval of their followers first; they know that it’s almost

impossible to please all the people all the time, and that consulting or collaborating too widely would result in

“analysis paralysis” anyway. Their seamless blend of transformational leadership with transactional leadership is

contextually contingent to the situation. Occasionally an autocratic style would undeniably be the best approach,

which is why great leaders often have the necessary 40,000 hours of ‘flying’ experience before they are allowed to

command and control an organisation. When the follower is incompetent and/or unwilling, or in a crisis situation, the

leader may need to intuitively make a strong and undemocratic snap decision, or face flying into a mountain and

destroy the entire organisation. They know, through intuition, research and group consultation, which issues are to be

tackled first. They’re experienced enough to be decisive and faithful to the vision. With limited resources they may

take an unpopular decision, but will do what’s right for the good of the majority and the vision. Preferably through

group consensus, they have the uncanny ability to find the key issues, label them, and then focus on the key solutions.

Yet incompetent leaders don’t know what to do, how to do it and are often the last to figure things out. However, they

have learnt to eloquently cover up their tracks and confidently ‘sell’ the next flawed strategy.

Effective leaders are competent enough, and humble enough, to serve with an inspirational attitude. They remain

accessible. They show the way, expose issues and solve them. They talk smart and act smart. Winston Churchill

said, ‘Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.’ It is the

self-awareness of their own competencies that gives the leader the courage and judgment to take risk, and the

wisdom to know when to keep quiet. Confident in their own abilities, they are equipped to productively persist.

Competencies allow the leaders to lead by skillful example. They start the forward momentum by personally

executing some of the strategic plan themselves. Leading by example they know that their tenacity will bring out

their same qualities in their followers. Leading by example they personally get involved in activities that uphold the

vision, purpose and values of the organization. Acutely aware of their weaknesses, they know when to delegate the

task to a more skillful member. Incompetent and often insecure leaders are oblivious of the weaknesses. At the Skill

World Forum at Oxford (2011), Nobel prize winning archbishop Desmond Tutu gives teamwork credit when he

says, ‘What I am is a good captain. I utilize the talents of the people on the team, and when the team plays well, I get

the kudos.’

The best leaders are those most interested in surrounding themselves with assistants and associates smarter than they are. They are frank in admitting this and are willing to pay for such talents. --AmosParrish In a 2009 global study of 3623 managers indicated that 40 percent of executives were resistant to change during a

stressful recession. The survey suggests that this is likely because a third of all executives are not equipped to

execute change, mainly due to their reluctance to attend training.88 Great leaders make compelling sense; they are

logically appealing and intelligent — thus they have excellent problem-solving abilities and are the catalyst for



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problem solving. They may have once worked on the factory floor. Their expertise and logical reasoning

demonstrates the certainty in achieving the vision in question. Because the follower knows that the leader possesses

credible skill, this enables the leader to be more persuasive. The leader thus gives the follower a sound and rational

“why” to act out the agreed upon strategic plan. The effective leader gives the follower career path clarity.

When the leader is found to be both corrupt and incompetent, they’re impossible to trust. Besides unimaginable levels

of corruption, the most pressing challenge facing Africa is the incompetence of so many of their leaders. In fact,

incompetence and mismanagement can easily exceed the billions lost in corruption by a factor of ten. Affluent

countries and communities flourish because of four things: law-and-order (trust in government), a free economy,

competence and hard work. It is that simple. The reason incompetence goes unpunished is because the opportunity

cost of lost revenue is so difficult to prove. Discussing the book that he edited, Advocates for Change, How to

overcome Africa’s Challenges, political analyst Moeleti Mbeki highlights incompetence as a major challenge. He also

cites the uprising of the citizens against elitist leaders, and suggests the following solution: ‘We have to realize in

Africa, what is more important, and Obama made it very clear, and he was absolutely right, it’s institutions that matter,

not the individual, not the individual president, not the individual prime minister, the individual ministers, we have to

build institutions in Africa. We the people, have to fight to ensure that these institutions are established, because

ultimately that’s what protects our democracy.’89 As long as those on the committee are trustworthy and competent,

institutions, like the African National Congress’ disciplinary committee, are great watchdogs. As they are the ultimate

role models of society, trustworthy and competent leaders are vital, and this is what “institutions” should manage —

incompetent and untrustworthy leaders need to be weeded out. Institutions should make certain that incompetent,

unconstitutional and untrustworthy leaders should have never been appointed in the first place.

Tuned into their environment, great leaders teach and coach well, which is extremely empowering to the follower.

They have the ability to focus on the big and small picture. They can zoom out (peripheral vision) and zoom in.

With their trust, emotional engagement and competence, they are respected; and it is this respect that gives them the

authority to intervene, negotiate and resolve conflict.

Because of their experience, they refine performance standards and know when to (and when not to) hold his chain

of command accountable.

Observed competence and wisdom creates trust and an emotional bond. Through inductive and deductive reasoning,

they’re able to backup their big emotional claims. They are not deceitful snake oil salespeople.

Case 1: With a background in the TEC Leadership Model, it is now much easy to understand, and remember the

otherwise elusive construct of leadership. Let’s see how the TEC Models works when disseminating characteristics of



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a leader into these three TEC pillars. Dr. John Maxwell for example cites Robert Dallek’s study of great presidents,

where Dallek has reduced admired leaders down to five main qualities: trustworthiness, vision, consensus building,

charisma and pragmatism. 90 Using the TEC Model (ref. Fig 4.3) it would look like this:

Trust Engagement Competence

Trustworthiness Vision, Consensus, Charisma Pragmatism (strategy and reason is

based on reality)

Case 2: Using the TEC Leadership Model, let’s dissect leadership guru Warren Bennis’ definition of a great leader into

three pillars: ‘Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust

among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential.’

Trust Engagement Competence

Building trust among colleagues.

Knowing yourself (i.e. values).

Vision that is well communicated.

Knowing yourself (i.e. vision).

Taking effective action. Knowing

yourself (i.e. strengths &

weaknesses).

Note: The benefits of “Knowing yourself” — the trait of a healthy self-esteem — cuts across all three TEC Leadership traits.

Case 3: Think of a leader you know: On a scale of 0-10 rate Trust. On a scale of 1-5, rate Emotional engagement

and Competencies.

Trust(bythecommunitiesthey

lead)

Engagement(withthe

communitiestheylead)

Competence(asperceivedandfeltby

thecommunitiestheylead)

T (0-10) Score: ____ E (0-5) Score: ____ C (0-5) Score: ____

TEC Leadership TOTAL: T x (E + C) = ____% Example: 8 x (5 + 3) = 64%

Case 4: In leading yourself, think about a current or future project. Now rate your self-trust, emotional engagement with self (self-

like), and competencies to achieve your vision.



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Trust(self-trust)) softEngagement(self-like) hardCompetence

T (0-10) Score: ____ E (0-5) Score: ____ C (0-5) Score: ____

I trust that the four examples above elucidate that every quality of a leader falls under three main traits. Using this model it becomes

much easier to focus one’s energy on becoming a better leader. Using this TEC Model, rating a leader is useful, however, the real

value should come in the form of on-going disclosure and feedback between leader and follower. Disclosure and feedback is the best

way for leaders to improve their trustworthiness, emotional engagement and competencies with followers. There must be

conversation.

Figure4.5:TheTECLeadershipModelatthecoreofTheGoldenTriangleofSystemicEnergy

This chapter concludes part one of this book, The Building Blocks of Successful Leaders. The next three chapters now

deals with part two, The Implementation of Success for Leaders — think, feel, act — where Figure 4.5 will be covered

in more detail.

Feeling (Body & Mind) (Emotional Energy)

Action (Body) (Behavioural Energy)

Thoughts (Mind) (Mental Energy)

AMS ar

ouse

s and

fuels

the

trian

gle.

RESULTS

re-ignite the triangle

The Golden Triangle of Systemic Energy

Attit

ude

& Be

lief

CHAP:2

CHAP:5 CHAP:7

CHAP:6

CHAP

: 1 -

7

CHAP:7

TEC Leader

Talent & Skills

Talent & Skills



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KeyTakeouts:Thequalitiesofsuccessfulleaders

! Thereisabsolutelynodoubtthattheplaceboeffectworks.Useit.

! Thenoceboisjustaspowerful.Don’tuseit.

! DozensofotherleadershipcharacteristicfallunderthethreemajorTECqualities—trust,

emotionalengagementandcompetence.Successorfailurehingesonbalancingthesethree

things,andit’sthesynergisticeffectofthetraitsthatismoreimportantthantheseparationof

anyoneadmirableTECcharacteristic.

! Usingacombinationofbothtransformationalandtransactionalleadershipstylesisnecessary.

! Beingcomfortableinyourownskin(self-esteem)isthecornerstoneofself-awarenessandthe

awarenessofyourconstitutedgroup.

! Self-esteem—emotionalcapital—isthebasisofahighemotionalquotient(EQ).

References: Chapter Four

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